


Crossroads

by glamourtentia



Series: Crossroads Universe [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Modern AU, side genjamé, side pharmercy, side reaper76
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-09 20:27:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 69,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7815928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glamourtentia/pseuds/glamourtentia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jesse McCree is a bus attendant with Overwatch Transportation. Hanzo Shimada is an ex-yakuza business consultant whose brother is dying. Together they'll face their pasts, fight for their future, and eat a lot of Taco Bell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

If Jesse McCree was honest with himself, being a bus attendant was about the most glamorous job he’d ever had.

It wasn't exactly where he'd imagined he'd be at twenty-seven -- when he was a kid, he'd wanted to grow up to be a firefighter-slash-veterinarian -- but the charter buses he spent his days on were air-conditioned, relatively quiet, and equipped with complimentary wi-fi. The people were nice, he got to sit for almost the entirety of each shift, and the midpoint stop where they switched buses had a Taco Bell. It was pretty boring, but comfortable, and that’d do him just fine for the time being.

When the bus pulled up in front of his apartment complex on a sunny summer morning, Jesse stood from where he’d been sitting on the curb and stretched with a loud yawn before slinging his backpack over one shoulder and climbing on board.

“Mornin’, Reinhardt,” he greeted the gigantic man behind the steering wheel, tipping his hat.

“Good morning, Jesse!” Reinhardt boomed. “So lovely to see you at this, our base of work!” he said with an exaggerated wink.

Jesse chuckled as he slid into the first row behind the driver’s seat and dropped his backpack next to him. “Ain’t it just,” he drawled, leaning forward to return the wink. He was technically supposed to meet Reinhardt at the Overwatch Transportation base so they could start the route together from there, but Reinhardt had long ago tired of him always being late and insisted on picking him up at home instead.

As they started off for their first stop, Jesse rooted through his backpack until he found what he was looking for: a squashed, half-empty pack of old strawberry-flavored gum. He dug out a piece and popped it in his mouth, glad to have something to chew on until they had a stop long enough for a smoke break.

Jesse knew they’d be picking up some of his favorite regulars at the first few stops today, and the thought made him smile. The routine of the bus attendant life might not be very exciting, but Jesse loved the warm familiarity that came from seeing the same people so often and from knowing just how to make them smile.

At the first stop, Jesse asked Sebastion (whom he had fondly nicknamed Bastion) how his new bird was doing. The cheery report was that Ganymede was growing bigger, stronger, and prettier every day.

At the second stop, Jesse held Mrs. Willoughby’s hand as he helped her onto the bus. He smiled while she listed off her numerous eligible granddaughters, and told her they all seemed far out of his league. When she disagreed, he reminded her very politely that he preferred other cowboys over cowgirls, and she lamented not having more grandsons.

At the third stop, he pretended to throw ten-year-old Hana into the luggage compartment along with her giant suitcase, making her shriek with laughter. After he gave her a piggyback onto the bus and deposited her in her favorite seat, she gave him half of her Twix, which he accepted with his hat held humbly to his chest. “Thank you kindly, little lady,” he said gravely with the Twix hanging from his lips like a cigarillo, and Hana giggled uncontrollably.

Jesse was in a thoroughly good mood by the time they pulled up to their fourth stop: a gas station just outside some hoity-toity neighborhood, the kind of neighborhood lived in by people who wouldn’t look for two seconds at a bus. They rarely had passengers get on or off at this stop, which made it perfect for a quick smoke.

When Reinhardt put the bus in park Jesse stood from his seat. “Back on the road in five, y’all,” he announced loudly. He whistled to himself as he stepped off the bus, feeling comfortably cheery. He waited till both feet were on the ground before sticking an unlit cigarillo in his mouth and digging in his pocket for his lighter.

It took him a couple seconds to realize he wasn’t alone. There was a man standing right beside the sign reading _OVERWATCH TRANSPORTATION PICK-UP/DROP-OFF_ , one hand holding an expensive-looking briefcase and the other resting primly on the handle of a small overnight suitcase.

“Oh! Howdy,” Jesse greeted him, surprised. He removed the cigarillo from his mouth and stowed it in his pocket, glad he hadn’t lit it yet. “You ridin’ with us today?”

Confusion creased the man’s perfect brow. “I intended to,” he said in a deep, accented voice. “Is that a problem?”

“Nah, not at all,” Jesse assured him quickly. “Just not used to seeing passengers at this stop is all.”

“I see.” The man looked to be about Jesse's age, maybe a little older, but no older than thirty. His dark hair was tied back in a short, neat ponytail, and his goatee was immaculately groomed. Jesse found himself pulling his hat down to cover more of his hair and running his fingers through his own unkempt beard self-consciously. He needed a cut and trim something fierce.

Jesse tore his eyes away and heaved open the undercarriage luggage compartment. He turned back to the new passenger, gesturing to the little suitcase. “Allow me.” The man stepped back from it, and Jesse hoisted it inside and slammed the compartment shut.

“Thank you. My ticket,” the man said, holding out a carefully folded piece of paper.

Jesse waved a hand loosely at him. “Go on inside. I’ll be with you in a sec.” The man nodded and turned to board the bus.

Jesse reclaimed the cigarillo from his pocket and lit it. He closed his eyes and took a long pull, then breathed out a puff of smoke and a sigh of relief.

It was only a couple of minutes before it was time to get going again. Jesse dropped the cigarillo to the pavement and ground it under his heel, then picked it up and chucked it in a nearby trash can. He was a smoker, but he wasn’t a _litterer_.

Jesse climbed back on board the bus and gave Reinhardt the signal to get going again. As the bus rumbled back to life, Jesse ambled down the aisle a few rows to stand beside the new passenger. The man already had a sleek laptop out and was frowning down at it.

Jesse cleared his throat, and after a moment the man took off his reading glasses and looked up at him. “Ticket?” Jesse prompted. The man wordlessly handed over the folded paper. Jesse scanned it quickly -- Hanzo Shimada, it said his name was -- before giving him a thumbs up and flashing a smile. “You’re good to go, partner. This your first time ridin’ with Overwatch, Mr. Shimada?”

The man -- Hanzo -- nodded slightly and said, “Yes.”

“Thought so.” Jesse grinned mischievously, then turned to shout towards the front of the bus. “Hey, Reinhardt! We got ourselves a newbie!”

“Ha ha _ha_!” Reinhardt’s laugh boomed from the front, filling the whole bus and thoroughly startling Hanzo. “Welcome aboard, friend!”

Jesse turned his attention back to the newbie, still grinning. “That there’s Reinhardt, he’ll be your driver for…at least part o’ your trip…” He looked down at the ticket again and let out a whistle when he saw the destination. “You goin’ all that way, huh? Business or pleasure?” he asked conversationally.

Hanzo fidgeted with the cuffs of his unbelievably wrinkle-less button down. “Neither.”

“Fair enough. Well, anyway, m’name’s Jesse, and I’m your bus attendant today,” he said with his most cordial smile. “Well, part o’ today, like I said. We’ll be stoppin’ about midway for an hour-ish lunch, and we’ll switch drivers and attendants then for the north stretch. You’ll stay on the same bus, though, you’ll just be rid o’ me an’ Reinhardt.” He winked, but Hanzo said nothing, so Jesse just cleared his throat and continued.

“Anyway…” He reached into his pocket. “Here’s the wi-fi –- dammit –- sorry –- ” He had to fish around for a few seconds before he finally got hold of one of the little cards shoved in his pocket. “Gotcha! Here’s the wi-fi info, if you’re, y’know. Into that sorta thing.” He handed over the wrinkled card, which Hanzo took gingerly. “Right. So, I’ll just be up front. Gimme a holler if y’need anything.”

Hanzo gave a nod of acknowledgement, and Jesse tipped his hat to him before hurrying back to his seat up front, hoping none of the regulars caught sight of his red face. Damn, but the newbie was smokin’, and, as an avid smoker, that wasn’t something Jesse McCree said lightly. “ _If you’re into that sorta thing_ ,” he scoffed at himself. Right embarrassing.

The rest of the northward drive was uneventful; a couple passengers got off, and a few more boarded, but no more first-timers. After a couple hours, when they stopped at the halfway point, Jesse gathered his things and stood at the front of the bus beside Reinhardt.

“Alrighty, everyone,” Jesse addressed the passengers loudly, craning his neck to make sure Hanzo was paying attention. Everyone else knew the drill already; this speech was pretty much for the newbie’s benefit. When he saw Hanzo look up at him Jesse continued.

“This here’s your lunch break. You can get off and head into the K-mart or one of these here fast food establishments if you fancy. Just be back on the bus by high noon, sharp, or you’ll be left behind. You’ll get back on the same bus, but you’ll have a different attendant and driver, so don’t panic when you don’t see my pretty face. My replacement Angela’s almost as pretty, and she’ll take good care o’ you,” he explained, then tipped his hat in goodbye. “Have a good one, folks.”

Jesse dropped back into his seat while the passengers started to file off the bus. Eventually, all of them had left the bus but one. Jesse stood and pretended to stretch while actually trying to get a look at Hanzo, whose full attention was fixed on his laptop.

“You don’t wanna get off an’ grab some grub?” Jesse eventually called back to him.

Without looking up, Hanzo replied, “No, thank you.”

Jesse shrugged. “Suit yourself,” he muttered, and turned to Reinhardt. “You okay to hang out here?” They weren’t allowed to leave the bus unattended, and Reinhardt always brought his own lunch to eat on board during the break, but Jesse figured it was nice to ask anyway.

“Of course!” Reinhardt said, giving Jesse a huge smile. “Go get your Taco Bell!”

“Will do, big guy,” Jesse said with a chuckle, giving Reinhardt a slap on the shoulder. “See you in a bit.”

When Jesse stepped off the bus, Angela was waiting for him just outside. “Hey there, Ang,” he greeted her cheerily, throwing his arms around her in a sloppy hug.

“Hi, Jess,” she replied, her voice muffled by his chest. “You know you just saw me two days ago, right?”

Jesse released her and grinned. “Aw, but I missed ya, darlin’. Always do.” He offered her his arm. “Shall we?” Angie rolled her eyes, but smiled back and took his arm.

They crossed the parking lot towards Taco Bell arm in arm. When they walked in, the bespectacled teen standing behind the register beamed at them. “Hullo, guys!”

“Howdy, Lena,” Jesse replied, and Angie waved. “How you kids doin’ today?”

“Pretty good,” Lena chirped, but then her face contorted into an exaggerated grimace. “Well, mostly. We’ve had an...incident.”

“Incident?” Angie questioned.

“Uh-huh. Lúcio’s gotta tell you, though.” Lena turned and shouted back into the kitchens. “Oi, Lúcio!”

After a second, Lúcio popped out from the kitchens and stood behind the counter with Lena. “‘Sup,” he said cheerfully.

“What _incident_ have you kids had?” Angie asked again, sounding wary.

Lúcio’s grin turned to an apologetic wince. “Uh, yeah, it’s my fault, sorta,” he started. “I dared Jamie to squirt twenty packets of hot sauce into a cup and chug the whole thing, and he did it, the absolute madman!” He grinned gleefully for a second before adding, “So now he’s, y’know, puking his guts out in the bathroom.”

“He really drank the whole thing?” Jesse asked, impressed, but when Angie glared at him he corrected, “I mean, not cool, partner.”

Angie sighed wearily. “I asked you to stop making Jamie eat and drink things that would make him sick, Lúcio. You know he’ll eat anything you tell him to.”

Lúcio looked appropriately repentant. “Sorry, Angie.”

“I’ll be right back,” Angie murmured to Jesse, and headed over into the men’s bathroom.

Jesse watched her go sympathetically. Poor girl. Between working the bus, taking medical school classes at night, and volunteering at Mercy Medical whenever she had spare time, Angie was practically a zombie these days with how tired she always was. Even so, she wouldn’t stand by while there was a puking kid in need. She was a real hero.

Once the door had swung shut behind Angie, Jesse turned back to the kids, both exasperated on Angie’s behalf and a little bit proud of the kids’ antics. “At this rate you little turd monkeys are givin’ Angie more doctor practice than she’s gettin’ from volunteerin’ at an actual hospital, you know that?”

“Yeah, you boys are a menace,” Lena agreed, glaring playfully at Lúcio, who stuck his tongue out at her.

Jesse snorted. “Says the li’l miss who nearly chopped her whole hand off just last week.”

“Hey, I’m not used to working in the kitchen,” she protested with a pout while Lúcio snickered. “And it was just one finger, Jesse, _god_.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he relented, grinning. “So you gonna take my order or what?”

“The Monday usual?”

“Please an’ thank you, little lady,” Jesse said with a wink and tip of his hat, making Lena giggle. He’d been coming to this Taco Bell almost every working day since he started on the bus and had long ago developed a schedule for what days he ordered which of his favorite foods. Lena had only started working the midday shift at the beginning of her summer break, but she already had his routine down. Kid was quick.

As Lena punched in his order and Lúcio disappeared back into the kitchen, Jesse had a thought. “Oh, and add Angie’s usual to my order, will you? And some of them…” He twirled his fingers demonstratively. “Y’know, cinnamon twisty thingies.”

“Right-o.” Lena tapped in the additions.

Jesse had just finished paying when the door to the men’s bathroom swung open and Angela came back out, followed by a somewhat green-looking Jamie.

“Go home and rest up,” Angie was telling him tiredly. “You shouldn’t keep working today.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Jamie said, managing a shit-eating grin despite how seasick he still looked.

At that Lúcio stuck his head out of the kitchen indignantly. “Hey, no fair you get to leave early! You’re not even really sick!”

Jamie pointed a long, bony finger at Lúcio dramatically. “You _poisoned_ me!”

Lúcio shook his head quickly. “Nuh-uh. It’s not like I forced you to drink it!”

“You double-fucking-dared me -- ”

“Jesse, tell him he has to stay,” Lúcio pleaded, hands clasped together.

Jesse raised an eyebrow. “Why you askin’ me? Ain’t you kids got a boss or somethin’?”

“Yeah, but Winston will just let him go home, and he’ll listen to _you_ if you tell him to stay,” Lúcio said to Jesse with an imploring look.

Jesse wasn’t convinced the kid would listen to _anyone_ unless they double-fucking-dared him, but he just shrugged. “I’m inclined to agree with the doc. Don’t want him pukin’ in my Meximelt.”

Seeming to take that as the final word, Jamie cackled loudly. “Suck it, losers!” With no further ado he loped for the door and disappeared outside. Lúcio watched him go longingly.

When he was gone Angela sighed and stepped up to the counter, but Lena shook her head quickly. “Jesse already got you, love.”

Angie looked at Jesse with surprise. “Really?” He shrugged, and she smiled softly, coming over to stand with him off to the side from the front counter. “Thanks, Jess.”

Jesse rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly. “S’nothin’, Ang. So,” he quickly deflected with a mischievous smirk, “on a scale from Mei-on-her-twenty-first-birthday to Jack-on-his-fiftieth-birthday, how sick was Jamie?”

Angie’s only answer was a loud groan. Chortling, Jesse slung his arm around her shoulders, and she slipped hers around his waist and sagged against him while they waited for their food.

Thanks to Lúcio, who was a right speed demon in the kitchen, their food was ready quickly, and Jesse carried the tray over to his and Angie’s favorite table. They both slid into their seats and started in on their food with no preamble.

After finishing his second Meximelt, Jesse swallowed down a huge gulp of his Pepsi and sat back to let the food settle before he started in on his nachos. “So how’s the company today?”

Angie patted daintily at her mouth with a napkin before replying. “Same old. Regulars only,” she said with a shrug. “How about you? Anyone interesting?”

“Yeah. We got a new guy,” Jesse told her, flicking idly at his straw. “He’s goin’ all the way north with you today. Doesn’t seem a talkative sorta fella, but lemme tell ya.” He leaned in conspiratorially and lowered his voice. “Man’s a goddamn dreamboat, Ang.”

Angie raised an eyebrow. “Is he, now?”

“Hell, yes,” Jesse confirmed, shaking his head appreciatively. “If I wasn’t already gay, he’d make me wish I was.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Angie said, rolling her eyes but smiling with amusement. “No wonder you’re in such a good mood today.”

“I am in a perfectly normal mood,” Jesse insisted, but then he thought back to Hanzo’s face when Reinhardt laughed, and he grinned.

 

***

 

The next day Jesse ate at Taco Bell alone. He and Angie didn’t eat together on Tuesdays anymore, because Jesse was a devout observer of Taco Tuesday, and Angie’d told him long ago that if she had to watch him inhale eight tacos in a row one more time she wouldn’t be his friend anymore.

After he’d finished his eight tacos with only the Taco Bell kids around to judge him, Jesse started back for the buses and caught sight of Angie a little ways ahead. Despite his better judgment, he ran to catch up with her.

“Hey,” he puffed when he reached her, taking her arm. “Oh, shit. Hold on a sec.” He bent over with his hands on his knees, trying not to wheeze while Angie looked on with obvious amusement. “Goddamn, am I out of shape.”

“You must be getting old, Jess,” Angie teased with a smirk.

“Well, I never!” Jesse huffed, offended. “I ain’t even thirty! And we are the same motherfrickin’ age. Heck, I’m _younger_ , technically!”

“I don’t hyperventilate after running thirty feet.”

“I ain’t _hyperventilating_ ,” Jesse protested, and finally managed to stand straight again. “Just breathin’ a lot.”

“This is what happens when you spend all your days sitting on a bus and the only exercise you get is moving luggage,” Angie scolded him as they started walking again. “You end up with strong arms and chicken legs. No endurance. And that’s not even touching on the smoking,” she added with a pointed look. “You really should play badminton with me or something. It’d help.”

“No thanks.” Jesse shook his head vehemently. “The only sports I’m interested in are eatin’ tacos and lovin’ America.”

Angie groaned and gave him a playful shove, which he countered by wrapping an arm around her shoulders and rubbing his knuckles on the top of her head while she tried to squirm away. “You’re so embarrassing,” she complained, equal parts exasperated and fond.

“You love it,” he retorted, grinning happily.

When they reached the buses Jesse released Angela, and she set about straightening her clothes and fixing her hair from the tussle. “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you,” she said absently while she fiddled with her headband. “Your boyfriend’s back.”

“Huh?” Jesse’s head whipped around to peer through the windows of the bus he was about to get on. Sure enough, Hanzo was sitting in a window seat and staring broodingly into the distance. When Jesse spun conspicuously around, Hanzo glanced over at him. Their eyes met, and, not knowing what else to do, Jesse tried for a charming smile and a wink. Hanzo looked away immediately.

Jesse could feel his face burning up as he turned back to Angela, who was making a gallant effort not to laugh. “Welp. That’s embarrassing,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck vigorously.

“It’ll be fine,” Angie reassured him kindly, though it still seemed like she might bust up laughing any second.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jesse sighed. “We got anyone else on southbound today?”

“No, just him, unless someone else gets on at a later stop. Why don’t you just talk to him?” Angie suggested. “Who knows, maybe he thinks you’re a ‘dreamboat’ too.” Her air quotes were teasing, but her words were kind, and Jesse chuckled a bit, still embarrassed.

“Maybe. I’ll think about it.” He gave Angie a one-armed hug and kissed the side of her head. “See ya tomorrow, darlin’.”

Jesse trundled onto the southbound bus, saying a quick hello-again to Reinhardt before making his way down the aisle to the lone passenger.

“Hey there,” Jesse said with his most professional, no-you-didn’t-just-catch-me-staring-at-you type of smile. “Headin’ back so soon?”

When Hanzo looked up at him, Jesse could see dark circles under his eyes. “It was an overnight trip.”

Jesse nodded understandingly. “Alright, alright.” After a moment Hanzo raised an eyebrow at him, and he realized he was still nodding. Shit. He stopped abruptly. “Well, just lemme know if you find yourself needin’ anythin’.”

Hanzo nodded -- only once, the smooth bastard -- and turned his impassive gaze back out the window. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

“My pleasure,” Jesse replied, tipping his hat and smiling even though Hanzo was no longer paying any attention to him. Stifling a sigh, he turned and moved back to the front of the bus. He patted Reinhardt’s shoulder as he slipped into his usual seat, and Reinhardt started up the bus.

Like he often did on the bus rides, Jesse entertained himself for a while playing games on his phone, but his thoughts kept drifting to Hanzo. He couldn’t help but wonder why Hanzo had traveled such a long distance for such a short trip, and why he looked so tired and beat-up, and whether he observed Taco Tuesday. (He figured it was probably a _no_ to that last one -- the guy seemed a little too classy for that -- but you never knew.)

More than anything, Jesse wondered why Hanzo was just _sitting_ there instead of getting on his laptop, or even just sleeping. God knew it looked like he could use some shuteye. But every time Jesse snuck a look at him in the rearview mirror, Hanzo was still staring out the window with that hauntingly blank look on his face.

Jesse lasted almost an hour before his curiosity got the better of him. Maybe Hanzo didn’t want company, but hell, maybe he did. What kind of bus attendant was Jesse if he didn’t at least offer it?

He stood and stretched with a groan. “Gonna go check on the passenger,” he informed Reinhardt. Reinhardt didn’t stop bobbing his head in time with “Call Me Maybe” playing quietly on the radio, but he gave Jesse a thumbs up.

Jesse made sure to walk down the aisle as slowly and loudly as he could. That way, Hanzo would know he was coming, and could pretend to be asleep or something if he didn’t want Jesse to talk to him.

Hanzo was still looking out the window when Jesse reached him, but inclined his head slightly to acknowledge Jesse’s presence. “Mind if I sit here?” Jesse asked, gesturing to the seat across the aisle from Hanzo.

Hanzo shrugged. “Do as you wish. It’s not my bus,” he answered, still not looking up at Jesse. He sounded as exhausted as he looked.

Chuckling nervously, Jesse lowered himself into the aisle seat across from Hanzo and said, “Well, it ain’t my bus neither, but I still get to make some of the rules.” He held up his hand and began to tick off his fingers. “No loud cryin’. No loud sex. Quiet cryin’ and quiet sex are fine by me, though,” he clarified before continuing, “And absolutely no chili dogs. They’re stinky as all hell and they’re a damn mess.”

That got Hanzo to glance over at him, and one corner of his mouth turned up. “I do not foresee myself having a problem with following your rules.”

“Good, good,” Jesse said, nodding approvingly. Hanzo’s attention slid quickly back to the window then, and Jesse tried not to scowl. What did he have to do to be more interesting than that goddamn window?

Well, as they said, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. He could talk about the scenery, if that was what Hanzo was into. “So, you enjoyin’ the scenery, Mr. Shimada?"

Hanzo finally turned to look at him, and Jesse could see that he looked amused. "There is no need for such formalities. You may call me Hanzo," he said, holding out his hand. "Jesse, was it?"

"Yeah, Jesse. Jesse McCree," Jesse replied quickly, reaching out to take Hanzo's hand and give it a shake. "Nice to, uh, officially meet you."

Hanzo gave him a small smile. "You as well." After a moment he turned to look out the window again, and Jesse was about ready to concede defeat to the damn thing when Hanzo spoke. “You were asking if I enjoyed the scenery,” he said. “To be honest, I hadn’t noticed it. I was...lost in thought.”

“The long drives are good for that,” Jesse agreed, nodding wisely.

“Yes. Now that I’m looking, though… There isn’t much to see, is there? It’s a desert. It’s brown. It’s barren.”

“Well, you’re not wrong, but you ain’t all right, either,” Jesse said thoughtfully. When Hanzo gave him a questioning look, Jesse chuckled. “There’s more to the desert than that, is what I’m sayin’. She’s a thing o’ beauty, she is,” he said, almost reverently.

Hanzo’s brow furrowed further, but he nodded. “I am from Japan. The scenery here is...different,” he said, sounding like he was choosing his words carefully. “It takes some getting used to.”

“Japan. Wow,” Jesse said, a little in awe. “Bet the scenery’s not the only thing that takes some gettin’ used to, huh?”

Hanzo gave him a small, closed-lip smile. “Indeed not.”

“How long you been in the states?”

“Hmm.” Hanzo paused, and one of his eyes squinted as he thought, and it was really fucking cute. “About a year.”

Jesse whistled. “Not too long then, huh? What brought ya?”

Hanzo stiffened immediately, and Jesse cursed himself for already screwing up again. “Family,” Hanzo said shortly.

“Gotcha,” Jesse said, casting around for another -- hopefully safer -- topic. “So how ‘bout what brought ya up north yesterday?”

Jesse wouldn’t have guessed it was possible for Hanzo to get any tenser, but he did. Jesse was about ready to shove his own entire foot in his goddamn mouth, but, like a moron, he kept going. “I just mean, most folks don’t tend to take a drive this long for just one night, y’know? Usually stay a week, or at least a coupla days.”

Hanzo didn’t relax at all, but after a painfully long moment he answered. “My brother is in the hospital,” he said slowly.

Jesse bit his lip. Yikes. “I’m real sorry to hear that,” he offered awkwardly.

Hanzo shook his head, and to Jesse’s surprise he continued: “He has been for some time. I have visited him weekly from the start of his hospitalization, but it has become...imprudent for me to make the drive so often on my own. I thought I might try an alternative means of travel.”

Jesse got the sense that there was a lot more to the situation than Hanzo was saying, but he was shocked he’d gotten this much. Not trusting himself to say anything right away, Jesse just nodded for a few more seconds until he’d managed to form an appropriate response in his mind. “Well, I’m mighty glad we could be o’ service to you, then. I hope the experience has been t’your liking,” Jesse said, and after a beat he added sheepishly, “and that I didn’t wreck it too bad with my big mouth.”

Hanzo scoffed quietly and cast a sidelong glance at Jesse. “Do not give yourself too much credit, cowboy. It is not so easy to get rid of me.”

“Fair enough,” Jesse chuckled. He pulled his pack of gum from his pocket and folded a stick of gum into his mouth. He offered the crumpled pack to Hanzo, who gave the tiniest yet most disgusted shake of his head Jesse had ever seen. He shrugged and shoved it back into his pocket.

“Well, it does sound like you have a lot to think about,” Jesse said, deciding not to push his luck. The guy might not be easy to get rid of, but Jesse still didn’t want to endanger his chances of getting to see Hanzo again. He pushed up out of his seat. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Hanzo nodded. “Thank you for your company,” he said simply, and Jesse smiled hugely as he made his way back to his seat at the front.

The rest of the drive passed uneventfully, quiet but for the sounds of the slightly-outdated pop music Reinhardt was listening to. When they reached Hanzo’s stop, Jesse hurried off the bus before Hanzo so he could have his luggage ready. By the time Jesse opened the compartment, carefully retrieved Hanzo’s small suitcase, and shut the compartment again, Hanzo was waiting behind him, briefcase in hand.

“Thank you, Jesse,” Hanzo said, giving Jesse a small smile that made his stomach do a little flip.

“My pleasure,” Jesse managed not to stutter as Hanzo took the suitcase from him and started to leave. After a second Jesse couldn’t help calling after him. “I’ll see you next week then, maybe?”

Hanzo paused and looked over his shoulder at Jesse. The tiredness in his eyes was even more prominent than before, but Jesse thought there might be some amusement there, too. “Yes. You will.” He turned back around and walked away.

Jesse watched him go, waiting until he was out of earshot before letting out a low whistle. “Well, hot diggity damn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> millions of thanks to my dear friend brenna for editing this fic!! you're amazing brenna!
> 
> tumblr: [@sodawife](http://sodawife.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [@GENJAMlN](http://twitter.com/GENJAMlN)


	2. Chapter 2

Hanzo stood at the curb of the gas station near his neighborhood, drumming his fingertips restlessly on the handle of his suitcase. He knew he was early, but that didn’t make waiting any less unpleasant.

He frowned and checked his watch, and when he looked back up the bus was just coming into view, slowing to a stop in front of him right at its scheduled time. The door swung open and out stepped Jesse McCree, an unlit cigarillo between his lips.

Jesse grinned widely around the cigarillo when he saw Hanzo. “Heya, Hanzo,” he said, tipping his ridiculous cowboy hat with his prosthetic hand.

Hanzo nodded at him. “Hello, Jesse.”

“Here, lemme get that for ya.” Jesse took Hanzo’s suitcase and went to open to the luggage compartment. “Glad to see I didn’t manage to scare you away,” he said as he loaded Hanzo’s suitcase with admirable care.

Hanzo didn’t respond right away, distracted by the way Jesse’s shirt stretched taut across the muscles of his back while he was bent over. He shook himself mentally and cleared his throat. “It would take more than a few personal questions to do that.”

Jesse laughed, a deep, rich sound. “Glad to hear it.” He shut the luggage compartment and brushed his hands off on his khakis. “You can head on in. I’ll be right with ya.”

“Thank you.” Hanzo boarded the bus, said a brief hello to the gargantuan driver, and took the same seat he’d sat in last week -- the window seat, four rows back, on the left side.

When Jesse didn’t follow in immediately after him, Hanzo glanced out the window. Jesse was leaning against a lamppost, smoking his cigarillo. He looked completely at ease, and Hanzo found himself both captivated and envious. He didn’t know the last time he’d felt as content as Jesse looked. After a minute, Jesse glanced up, and their eyes met. Before Hanzo could look away and pretend it was a coincidence, Jesse gave him a lazy wave and a wink.

Hanzo quickly turned away from the window, flustered. What was with Jesse and winking? Hanzo had to concede that he wasn’t particularly familiar with casual American phrases and gestures, but he was fairly certain that winking wasn’t _that_ common of a thing to do. He didn’t know what to make of it.

The bus started moving as soon as Jesse got back on. He immediately came over to Hanzo and sat down across the aisle, extending a hand. “Ticket?”

Hanzo handed his ticket over, and Jesse barely glanced at it before shoving it unceremoniously into his pocket and turning his attention back to Hanzo. “Your brother still in the hospital?”

Hanzo’s chest tightened. “Yes.” He forced himself to look up and was taken aback by the intense, genuine concern in Jesse’s eyes.

Jesse tugged thoughtfully at his beard, which, Hanzo noted, was much more neatly trimmed than the tumbleweed that had been attacking his face last week. He thought Jesse might apologize or start rambling again, but instead he just asked, “He at Mercy Medical?”

“Yes,” Hanzo said again. He tore his eyes away from the intensity of Jesse’s gaze and straightened the cuffs of his sleeves. “It’s the best hospital in the state. Well worth the distance.”

“I hear ya.” Jesse paused, then continued, “Did you know Angie volunteers there? She’s gonna be a doctor. She’s a genius,” he said, his voice full of pride and affection.

Unbidden memories from last week sprang up in Hanzo’s mind: images of Jesse with his arms around Angela, smiling at her and laughing with her and kissing her head sweetly. Moments Hanzo had intruded on by not looking away when he’d seen them together just outside the bus.

Hanzo felt a strange little twist in his gut. “I’m sure she is. You are a lucky man.”

Jesse’s brows drew together and he cocked his head. “What d’you mean?”

“Angela seems very wonderful,” Hanzo said evenly. “You are lucky to be dating such a fine woman.”

“Dating?” Jesse stared blankly at Hanzo for a long moment, then burst into laughter, much to Hanzo’s confusion.

“What is so funny back there?” the huge driver, Reinhardt, bellowed from the front.

Still laughing, Jesse shouted back, “Hanzo here thinks me and Angie’s datin’ each other!”

Reinhardt’s responding laugh was uproarious. “Good one, Hanzo!”

Jesse looked back at Hanzo, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye. “I ain’t datin’ Angie, sweetheart.”

Hanzo could feel his face positively _burning_. “I gathered as much from your reaction,” he said stiffly.

Finally calming down, Jesse turned in his seat to face Hanzo and looked over at him with amusement. “Just out o’ curiosity, why’d you think I was?”

Hanzo shrugged, feeling extremely embarrassed. “I saw you together last week,” he said, looking anywhere but Jesse. “You were very affectionate. It was natural to assume,” he added defensively.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jesse scratching at his beard. “I s’pose. Sorry for givin’ you a hard time, darlin’, it’s just been so long since someone thought that about us. We used to get it all the time,” he explained. “Me and Angie, we go way back. Datin’ her would be like datin’ my sister.”

Jesse leaned back in his his seat casually. “Besides,” he added, “neither of us swing that way, anyhow.”

Hanzo frowned, trying to remember whether that was a phrase he'd heard his brother use, but when he came up short he had to admit, “I don’t know what that means.”

Jesse glanced at Hanzo sideways. “We’re both gay.”

“Oh,” was Hanzo’s automatic response. He’d had his suspicions about Jesse, but had dismissed them upon concluding that he was dating Angela. Jesse was still watching him, possibly waiting to see how he’d react. When Hanzo didn’t say anything else, Jesse cleared his throat and looked away again.

“Yup. So, yeah. Definitely not datin’ Angie,” Jesse said, making an obvious effort to sound nonchalant. “Anyway, reason I brought her up is ‘cause I was wonderin’ if maybe she’s seen your brother at the hospital. If you wanted to tell me his name, I could ask her.”

Hanzo couldn’t think of any reason why not. “Genji,” he said. “Genji Shimada.”

Jesse nodded and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He started to type something, then looked up at Hanzo. “D’you mind if I tell her you thought we were datin’? She’ll get a hoot out of it, but I won’t if you don’t want me to.”

It was surprising that Jesse would think to ask. The embarrassment was still fresh, but Hanzo let out a small, resigned sigh. “I suppose you may.”

“Swell,” Jesse said with a grin. He finished tapping around on his phone and pushed it back into his pocket. “And, y’know, like I said, Angie’s just a weekend volunteer at Mercy Medical. Not like she’d be your brother’s doctor or anythin’, or know any more than you do.” He shrugged. “Just interesting to see, I guess.”

“Yes, it would be,” Hanzo agreed.

With a huge yawn, Jesse stood and stretched. “Well, I reckon I’ve bothered you long enough. I’ll leave you be.”

Hanzo considered telling Jesse that he didn’t mind the company. Even when babbling or making fun, Jesse’s low, easy drawl was pleasant to listen to, and his overall presence was both soothing and distracting in ways that Hanzo was grateful for in his current state of mind.

But he couldn’t justify the selfishness of keeping Jesse with him, and besides, he had work to do. They both did.

“Very well,” Hanzo said, trying very hard not to sound reluctant. Jesse gave him a little smile before heading back up to the front of the bus.

Sighing quietly, Hanzo opened his briefcase and retrieved his laptop. So many emails.

He didn’t look up again until the bus was parked at the lunch stop and Jesse was standing up at the front. Hanzo removed his reading glasses and watched Jesse give his spiel, only half-listening. He was distracted by the wild, exaggerated gestures Jesse made with his hands while he talked, his prosthetic arm gleaming in the sunlight coming through the windows.

When Jesse had finished and sat back down, the few other passengers trailed gradually off the bus until Hanzo was the only one left once again.

Out of the corner of his eye Hanzo saw Jesse stand back up. “Hey, Hanzo. You sure you don’t wanna get off and grab a bite?”

Hanzo checked his watch. Only a couple of hours until he reached his destination; he would be fine until then. “I will stay here.”

Jesse shuffled down the aisle a bit, a little closer. He rubbed at his neck. “Well, me and Angie are gonna go eat at Taco Bell together, if you’d fancy joinin’ us.”

Hanzo looked up at Jesse with surprise. “I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“You’re not intrudin’, I’m invitin’ you.”

It was a tempting prospect, but Hanzo didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to get ahead in his work. And besides, he wasn’t sure he could face both Jesse and Angela at the same time after the morning’s embarrassingly off-base assumptions about the nature of their relationship.

Decision made, Hanzo shook his head. “I’m fine. Enjoy yourselves.”

“Oh. Okay.” Hanzo thought he could hear disappointment in Jesse’s voice, and it almost changed his mind.

As Jesse turned to leave the bus, Hanzo impulsively called after him, “Thank you for the invitation. Perhaps another time.”

Jesse looked over his shoulder and grinned, to Hanzo’s relief. “I’ll hold ya to that, darlin’.” He gave Hanzo one of his absurd winks and stepped off the bus, leaving Hanzo with the feeling that he should have said yes.

 

***

 

Hanzo jerked awake when his head slipped from where it had been resting on his hand. Blood pumping with the adrenaline of being startled awake, he looked down at his watch to check the time, straining to read it in the darkness. Three forty-six.

He shifted in his uncomfortable chair as his eyes readjusted to the darkness of Genji’s hospital room, and he mentally berated himself for dozing off. He didn’t come all this way to _sleep_.

Sighing, Hanzo looked at his younger brother’s prone form on the bed in front of him, connected to a dozen different machines that beeped and whirred and blinked. Genji had been comatose for long enough now that his ridiculous dyed green hair was starting to grow out and reveal black roots. He’d be furious when he woke up.

If he woke up.

Genji’s condition was stable, the doctors were saying. They didn’t know when or even if he’d get better, but for now, at least, he wasn’t getting any worse.

Sometimes, in the more difficult moments of his visits, Hanzo wondered if he could scream loud enough to wake Genji up. He knew that wasn’t how it worked; if the comatose could be woken with something so simple as a loud noise, neither he nor Genji would still be here.

And besides, Genji had always been an impressively sound sleeper. Hanzo could remember trying to wake him up for school when they were teenagers. He could push Genji out of bed as hard as he could, and Genji would just drop to the floor and continue to snore there.

Pushing. Falling.

 _What’s going on?_ Genji’s voice had come from the doorway to Hanzo’s office.

 _Genji. Leave_ , Hanzo had ordered through gritted teeth without taking his eyes off the man pointing a gun at him.

 _Not a chance, brother_. Genji had forced his way into the office to stand beside Hanzo. _Leave him the fuck alone_ , he’d said to the man, fire blazing in his eyes.

The man had smiled. _The first Shimada traitor. You can help me teach your brother a lesson. Two birds, one stone._

The shattering of glass. Genji’s cries as his body smashed through the window and plummeted towards the ground.

Hanzo’s stomach twisted sickeningly. He jumped out of his chair and threw himself at the small trash bin in the corner of the room, dry heaving over it until he thought he might pass out.

When it finally passed, Hanzo shakily got to his feet. Slowly, unsteadily, he returned to his chair and resumed his vigil.

 _Brother. I’m sorry_.

 

***

 

Hanzo slept straight through the first half of the return trip, physically and emotionally exhausted. Angela woke him gently when they reached the halfway stop, and he managed to mutter a thanks before letting his eyes droop closed again.

He lingered in a half-awake, half-asleep limbo until he heard the heavy lumbering sounds of the massive bus driver, Reinhardt, boarding the bus. He was still astonishingly loud, but his constant cheer was pleasant, so Hanzo found he didn’t mind too much, especially in comparison to the strange little man who drove the bus on the northern stretch.

“Jesus, Reinhardt,” came a familiar voice, “one o’ these days you gonna break the entire goddamn bus just by gettin’ on it.”

Reinhardt’s impressive laugh boomed throughout the bus. “Let us hope not! We’d both be out of a job!”

After a minute, Hanzo heard the stomp of someone approaching him, then stopping beside him. “Hello, Jesse,” he said without opening his eyes.

Jesse sounded surprised. “How’d you know it was me?”

“No one else approaches me on this bus. And besides, I heard you when you entered. Your accent and way of speaking are...distinct.”

Jesse chuckled and there was a squeak of him lowering himself into the seat across the aisle as the bus started moving. “You’re one to talk, partner.”

Finally Hanzo cracked an eye open, squinting against the sudden brightness. Jesse was staring at him. Hanzo sat up straighter and rubbed at his eyes until Jesse wasn’t blurry anymore. He was still looking at Hanzo, though, with a half-smile on his face.

“What is it?” Hanzo asked, preemptively embarrassed. His hand flew to his face to make sure he hadn’t drooled, then moved to his hair, which he could just _tell_ was a mess.

“Nothin’,” Jesse said, looking away, and Hanzo took the opportunity to quickly fix his ponytail, just in case Jesse was lying.

The bus rumbled back into motion, and Jesse settled back into his seat. “So how’s your brother doin’?” His expression was one of eager concern. “Genji, right? Angie says she hasn’t seen him, but she’s gonna keep an eye out.”

Hanzo frowned. It was kind of Jesse to ask, but after the emotional turmoil of last night Hanzo had hoped for a distraction, not a reminder. “Genji is stable,” he replied slowly. “He remains in a coma, with no significant signs of improvement, but his condition does not appear to have worsened since his admittance.”

“Well, that’s good, ain’t it?” Jesse said with a hopeful smile. “What happened to him, anyhow?”

Hanzo’s heart thudded painfully. “He fell. Through a third-story window.”

Jesse’s mouth dropped open. “Jesus H. Christ,” he whispered. “ _How_?”

The twisted, sick feeling was starting to return to Hanzo’s gut. He forced it down and shook his head. “I would...rather not talk about it right now,” he managed.

“Oh, fuck. O’ course.” Jesse looked wholly mortified. “I’m real sorry, Hanzo, I didn’t mean to pry. Shit.”

Hanzo gave him a tiny, tight-lipped smile. “It’s fine. I appreciate your concern. It’s just...difficult to talk about.”

“Absolutely.” Jesse nodded vigorously. After a second he asked, “You want me to leave you alone, or you wanna talk about something else?”

“We can talk about something else,” Hanzo said, grateful for the option.

“Alright. Well.” Jesse scratched his nose thoughtfully, then brightened. “How you likin’ the scenery now? You seen the beauty of the desert yet?”

Hanzo was fairly certain he hadn't looked outside at all since boarding the bus that morning. He turned to look out the window, and sure enough it was as brown and barren as ever.

He shook his head. “I still don't get it,” he admitted, shooting a guilty look at Jesse. “I'm not certain what there is that I'm supposed to be seeing.”

“I can show you, if you want,” Jesse offered, giving Hanzo a lopsided smile. He gestured to the empty seat beside Hanzo. “May I?”

Hanzo nodded, and Jesse moved across the aisle to sit right next to him. Their knees bumped together, and Jesse didn't pull away, instead leaning over Hanzo slightly to look out the window. “Let’s take a look-see,” he muttered, squinting against the sunlight.

Hanzo’s breath caught in his throat; he had never been so close to Jesse before, and the proximity was distracting. He forced himself to breathe. Jesse smelled pleasantly of cigarillo smoke and what might be strawberry-flavored chewing gum.

“Aha! There’s something!” Jesse pointed out the window excitedly, and Hanzo followed his finger.

He squinted, tilted his head. “I see nothing.”

“Okay, wait, we passed it. Keep your eyes peeled -- there!” Jesse jabbed at the window with his finger, smudging the glass.

A lone cactus stood a little ways away. Hanzo watched it as they drove past, and then it, too, was gone.

He looked back at Jesse and raised an eyebrow. “I have seen a cactus before, Jesse.”

“Yeah, but do you know how cool they are?” Jesse challenged, drawing back into his own space.

“Perhaps not,” Hanzo said, suppressing a smile at Jesse’s enthusiasm. “Just how cool are they?”

“Pretty damn cool. I reckon there’s like, a thousand different kinds of cacti. And they live to be old as balls. Couple hundred years or somethin’.” He scratched at his beard, looking a little sheepish. “Least, I think so. I ain’t exactly a cactus expert. Might be pullin’ all that outta my ass.”

Hanzo huffed out a little laugh, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “If you are correct, then they do sound pretty cool.”

“Well, even if I’m wrong, they’re still cool.”

“I will take your word for it.”

Jesse leaned towards the window again for a minute, then apparently gave up, settling back into his seat with a sigh. “Okay, so maybe this particular stretch ain’t that exciting,” he conceded. “But there’s plenty to see in the desert. You ever seen a real tumbleweed before?” Hanzo shook his head, and Jesse grinned. “It’s surreal. Like an old movie.”

Jesse sighed wistfully and closed his eyes. “And there ain’t nothin’ like the desert at night. When it’s cooled off from the day, and the only sounds are the wind and the critters. I ain’t never seen so many stars as out in the desert on a summer night.”

The look of dreamy longing on Jesse’s face made Hanzo’s heart ache. He wished he could see what Jesse was picturing, and he absently wondered if it could compare to the sight before him now -- Jesse sprawled comfortably in the seat beside him, eyelashes dark against his cheeks, smooth lips stretched into an easy smile.

Hanzo tore his eyes away, feeling a flush crawl up his neck and onto his face. “That sounds...very pleasant,” he said at last.

Jesse laughed. “It is.” He opened his eyes and grinned at Hanzo. “You oughta check it out sometime. Go campin’ out in the desert or somethin’. It’s real special.”

Maybe once Genji was awake and out of the hospital, Hanzo could take him camping in the desert. A manly, brotherly bonding trip. Genji would love that. A lump in his throat, Hanzo nodded. “I will.”

The bus started to slow, and Jesse yawned and stood up. “Duty calls. We got a bunch of southbound passengers today, I think.” Hanzo watched him amble off the bus, trying to convince himself that he didn’t care whether Jesse came back and sat with him for the rest of the trip.

A few minutes later Jesse was back on the bus, leading a small, ancient woman by the hand. “Oh, but Jesse, dear,” she was saying, “I insist you let me arrange a date for you with my granddaughter Veronica. She’s newly available, and she plays the piano!” the woman said with wide eyes, as though that were a unique and interesting characteristic.

Jesse chuckled good-naturedly as he led her down the aisle towards Hanzo, who was pretending not to pay attention. “I’m sure Veronica’s a real peach, Missus Willoughby.” There was a patient exasperation in his voice that hinted that this was a conversation he’d had many times. “But I been tellin’ ya, I don’t swing that way.”

 _Don’t swing that way_. Hanzo had almost forgotten about the slang he’d learned from Jesse the previous day. A strange term, but apt enough, he supposed.

Hanzo was surprised when Jesse and the old woman stopped beside him. “Missus Willoughby, this here’s Hanzo,” Jesse said to the woman. “I gotta attend to the other passengers, but I know Hanzo’d love to entertain a lovely young thing such as yourself.” He winked at her, then shot a pleading look at Hanzo, and Hanzo’s eyes widened with alarm.

Mrs. Willoughby clucked her tongue and settled down into the seat across the aisle from Hanzo. “Fine, fine, dear. Maybe _he’ll_ date one of my granddaughters,” she said pointedly to Jesse, and began pulling an obscene amount of yarn out of her handbag.

Before Jesse could escape, Hanzo caught him by the sleeve and tugged him down. “What are you _doing_?” he growled in Jesse’s ear, hoping Mrs. Willoughby’s hearing was as bad as her gaydar.

“M’sorry, darlin’, I am,” Jesse whispered back, and to his credit he did sound apologetic. “Missus Willoughby likes company while she travels, but I got too many other passengers to deal with today. Help a poor soul out?” he asked hopefully.

Hanzo huffed, and he could see the ends of Jesse’s hair flutter with his breath. “Fine. But you owe me, Jesse McCree,” he muttered darkly.

Jesse shifted, and his cheek brushed against Hanzo’s so lightly it had to have been an accident, but it still made Hanzo draw in a sharp breath. “Alright, fair’s fair,” Jesse agreed. “What will I owe ya?”

Hanzo forced himself to breathe. “That depends. What’s on the table?”

Jesse laughed softly. “Anythin’ you want, darlin’,” he murmured, his voice low and his breath warm against Hanzo’s ear.

Hanzo’s heart beat wildly against his ribcage. Quickly, he released Jesse and pulled back, turning away slightly in hopes that Jesse wouldn’t see the blush he could feel blooming across his cheeks. “Very well. I will consider.”

Jesse stood motionless, still half-hunched over, for another long moment. Out of the corner of his eye, Hanzo could see the dazed look on his face. Finally Jesse shook his head sharply and walked back to the front of the bus. As soon as his back was turned, Hanzo watched him go, unable to get his mouth to shut all the way.

“So. Will you?” piped up the warbling voice of Mrs. Willoughby.

Snapped out of his reverie, Hanzo turned to her. “I beg your pardon?”

“Date one of my granddaughters.” Her frail-looking fingers were knitting at an astonishing speed, but her huge eyes were fixed on him appealingly.

Hanzo frowned. “It is unlikely.” He cast a furtive glance up the aisle to where Jesse was sitting a few rows ahead, leaning back in his seat. It was hard to tell whether he was listening in.

“Oh, but I have so _many_!” Mrs. Willoughby exclaimed. “I’ve certainly got one, if not a dozen, that might appeal to a handsome young man such as yourself.”

Hanzo cleared his throat awkwardly. “I am confident that each is wonderful and beautiful in her own way,” he said diplomatically, and Mrs. Willoughby hummed in pleased agreement. “However…” He paused, but decided that if Jesse could be open about it, so could he.

“I’m afraid I do not…swing that way,” Hanzo said, the new slang awkward on his tongue.

Mrs. Willoughby gasped with apparent disappointment, but Hanzo found himself looking up the aisle. At his words, Jesse had looked back at Hanzo, his expression unreadable. Their eyes locked for a second, and then Jesse turned quickly back around. Hanzo felt a prickly heat on the back of his neck as he turned reluctantly back to Mrs. Willoughby.

“Not you, too,” she was sighing, as though Hanzo’s sexuality were a personal betrayal.

Quite unsure what he was supposed to say now, Hanzo offered, “I am very sorry that I’m gay, Mrs. Willoughby.”

A loud snort drew his attention, and he glanced up the aisle. Jesse had his hand clamped over his mouth and was shaking with contained laughter.

When Hanzo looked back to Mrs. Willoughby, he saw that she’d followed his gaze and was looking at Jesse too. She turned back to Hanzo with a little smile. “That’s quite all right, dear. But you know,” she whispered loudly, leaning towards him as if to impart an important secret, “Jesse is a very nice young man. Good-looking, too.”

Hanzo frowned at the non-sequitur. She was right, of course -- Jesse was wonderful, and handsome, and perfect -- but he didn't see how that was relevant. “I’m...sorry that Jesse is gay, too?” he tried.

Jesse’s laughter was fully audible now, and Hanzo looked over to see him turned around in his seat, doubled over and grinning at Hanzo like all this was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. Hanzo surreptitiously flipped him the bird, which only seemed to amuse Jesse further, and Hanzo scowled. He was _suffering_ over here.

Mrs. Willoughby clucked her tongue and shook her head at Hanzo. “You boys,” she said, and didn’t elaborate. She turned her eyes down to her knitting.

Hanzo glanced up at Jesse one more time, but Jesse had turned forwards again. After a moment, Hanzo turned back to Mrs. Willoughby. His eyes were drawn to the knitting in her lap, the soothing way the colors came together in complex patterns. He watched her work with growing fascination until she looked up at him again questioningly.

“What are you making?” Hanzo asked, and Mrs. Willoughby’s eyes lit up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading, i hope you liked this chapter!! it was super fun to write. this and the next chapter are a couple of my favorite i've written so far :)
> 
> extra big thank you to everyone who kudosed, bookmarked, and especially commented on the first chapter!!! you guys make my life. and extra EXTRA big thank you again to my beta brenna!!!
> 
> if you have any questions about this au or anything feel free to comment or send me an ask or something!! i would die of joy
> 
> ok i think that's it! stay tuned folks
> 
> tumblr: [@sodawife](http://sodawife.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [@GENJAMlN](http://twitter.com/GENJAMlN)


	3. Chapter 3

“You’ve gotta be shittin’ me.”

“I am doing no such thing!”

Jesse dropped his head into his hands with a loud groan. “I can’t believe this,” he complained. “I can’t believe I’m stuck on this bus with you for the next eight goddamn hours when those words just came outta your mouth.”

Reinhardt frowned, but he didn’t take his eye off the road. “What is so wrong with what I said?”

“Literally everything!” Jesse practically shouted, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “The best answer is _obviously_ fuck Gabe, marry Ana, kill Jack!”

Reinhardt shook his head. “I disagree! Jack is clearly the best marriage prospect. He would be the most devoted, caring spouse! And I would never dream of killing Ana, which means I must kill Gabriel and engage in intercourse with Ana. Simple logic!”

Jesse flopped back into his seat and folded his arms. “I am never playing this with you again,” he told Reinhardt.

“Suit yourself! Your opinions are your own!”

“My opinions are _right_ ,” Jesse grumbled, and Reinhardt chortled loudly.

Jesse managed to sulk all the way through their first few stops, but when he looked out the window at the fourth stop and saw Hanzo waiting outside, his heart fluttered stupidly and his face split into a grin. He hurried off the bus as quickly as he thought he could get away with without seeming overeager.

“Howdy, Hanzo,” he said brightly, giving Hanzo his best attempt at a dazzling smile. “How you doin’ today?”

“Good morning, Jesse,” Hanzo said with a small smile in return. “I am well, thank you. And yourself?”

“Pretty good. Mornin’ got off to a rough start, but it just got a lot better,” Jesse said with a wink that he instantly regretted. Too much. Come on, McCree.

Hanzo didn’t seem to notice. In fact, he seemed considerably distracted, staring off to the side a bit. “I’m glad to hear it,” he said, and Jesse could see his fingers tapping rapidly at the handle of his suitcase.

Jesse moved closer and reached for the suitcase. “Can I get that for ya?” He tugged at the handle, but Hanzo didn’t let go. Jesse gave up and narrowed his eyes at Hanzo worriedly. “You sure you’re doin’ alright?”

Finally Hanzo looked up at him, and Jesse suddenly realized that he was standing far too close to Hanzo, and that his hand was pressed against Hanzo’s on the suitcase handle, and that Hanzo definitely had the nicest eyes he’d ever seen.

Hanzo quickly released the handle and stepped back. “Yes. Sorry.”

Jesse thought there might be a blush blooming in Hanzo’s cheeks, but he couldn’t tell for sure before he turned away to hide his own red face. “You’re all good, sweetheart,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck with his prosthetic hand while he pulled Hanzo’s suitcase over to the bus with the other.

He’d opened the luggage compartment and was starting to lift the little suitcase when Hanzo cleared his throat behind him.

“Jesse.”

Jesse paused, holding the suitcase mid-air. Hanzo sounded nervous, and that made him nervous, too. He didn’t turn around when he replied, “Yeah?”

“I have decided how you can repay me,” Hanzo said, and Jesse wondered if he was fidgeting with the cuffs of his sleeves. “For keeping Mrs. Willoughby company last week.”

Slowly, Jesse started moving again. He set Hanzo’s suitcase gently inside the compartment, taking his time moving it around to find the perfect placement. “How’s that?” he asked, working to keep his tone even.

Hanzo’s voice was equally even when he answered. “If it sounds acceptable to you, you may buy me lunch at the Taco Bell today.”

Jesse’s heartbeat quickened. That sounded like a date.

He carefully closed the luggage compartment and turned to face Hanzo again. Without the suitcase handle to hold onto, both of Hanzo’s hands were clutching his briefcase, but his face was unreadable.

Jesse leaned back against the side of the bus and folded his arms, feigning a casualness he was miles away from feeling. “I told you -- anythin’ you want, darlin’,” he said, and his voice sounded rough even to his own ears. “That’s what you want?”

Hanzo nodded jerkily. “Yes.”

“Well, alright then,” Jesse said with a nervous grin. “You got yourself a deal.”

After a second, Hanzo smiled -- a real smile, that reached his pretty eyes and showed his perfect teeth.

Jesse thought he might swoon.

“Excellent,” Hanzo said.

Jesse’s mouth was completely dry, he couldn’t get it to shut, and he was pretty sure his heart had stopped beating. He managed to nod. Still smiling, Hanzo turned and boarded the bus.

As soon as Hanzo was out of sight Jesse sagged back against the side of the bus and fumbled for a cigarillo. He found he was able to breathe again, but also thought that maybe he wouldn’t mind never breathing again if it meant Hanzo was always smiling like that.

 

***

 

TO: ANGIE ZIEGLER  
_Hey ang sorry but i gotta miss lunch with u today_

FROM: ANGIE ZIEGLER  
_That’s fine, is everything okay?_

TO: ANGIE ZIEGLER  
_Yeah im getting lunch with hanzo…….._

FROM: ANGIE ZIEGLER  
_Oh my god, really???_

TO: ANGIE ZIEGLER  
_Yeah :-)_

FROM: ANGIE ZIEGLER  
_I can’t believe you’re going on a date with The Dreamboat™...congrats!_

TO: ANGIE ZIEGLER  
_Well it might not be a date idk haha i dont wanna make it weird_

FROM: ANGIE ZIEGLER  
_It’ll be fine. Just...be cool._

TO: ANGIE ZIEGLER  
_I always am B-)_

FROM: ANGIE ZIEGLER  
_Pffft, sure. Details later??_

TO: ANGIE ZIEGLER  
_Couldnt stop me if u tried ;-)_

 

***

 

“Do you know what you wanna get? Anythin’ you want.”

Hanzo hummed with contemplation as he stared intently up at the menu. His face was about as serious as Jesse’d ever seen it, like deciding what to order at Taco Bell was a Big Ass Deal. After a minute of deliberation Hanzo said, “To be honest, it’s been many years since I last ate at a Taco Bell. What would you recommend?”

Jesse grinned. “You’re askin’ the right person, sweetheart. I know this menu better’n I know my own mama’s voice. What do you like? Tacos, burritos, quesadillas?”

Hanzo considered for a moment. “Burritos, I think.”

“Alrighty then.” Jesse proceeded to rattle off his top five favorite burritos in order, including a summary of their individual features. Hanzo looked more and more conflicted with each one.

“Perhaps...you should just choose for me,” Hanzo said faintly when Jesse had finished.

Jesse chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d be happy to, but d’you trust me to make such an important decision for you? I wouldn’t wanna tarnish your opinion of this fine establishment by making a bum choice.”

“I trust you,” Hanzo said firmly, and Jesse smiled.

“Hope I don’t disappoint. C’mon, then.” He led Hanzo up to the counter, where Lena was already grinning at them from behind the register. “Howdy, Lena.”

“Hi Jesse! Who’s this? Where’s Angie?”

Jesse wasn’t about to admit to bailing on his long-standing tradition with Angie just to get some alone time with Hanzo. “Angie, uh, had a thing,” he offered vaguely, rubbing his neck. “Anyway, this is Hanzo. I owe him for doin’ me a favor last week, so his lunch’s on me today. Hanzo, this’s Lena.”

Hanzo inclined his head slightly. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“You too,” Lena said with a bright smile. She pushed her glasses up her nose. “What’ll you gents be having?”

“Well, the Monday usual for me, and we’ll try a…” Jesse scrunched up his face, hoping he was making an okay pick. “Number six combo plus a number eight entrée for Hanzo.”

“You got it!”

While Lena was putting in their order, Hanzo asked, “You have a Monday usual?”

Jesse laughed. “Yeah, me and Angie been regulars here since we started workin’ the bus. We’re all good pals here,” he said with a grin at Lena. “Where’re the other turd monkeys at, anyhow?”

Lena pursed her lips. “Dunno. Screwing around, probably. Guys?” she called towards the back.

Hanzo nudged Jesse. _Turd monkeys?_ he mouthed. Jesse raised his eyebrows and shrugged, figuring Hanzo’d see for himself in about a minute.

A second later, Lúcio and Jamie came barrelling out of the kitchen and skidded to a halt beside Lena. “Jesse!” they said in unison, and Lúcio quickly yelled, “ _Jinx_!” Jamie crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue at Lúcio, but obediently said nothing.

Lúcio pumped his fist in the air triumphantly, then did a double take at Hanzo. He leaned an elbow on the counter, looking Hanzo up and down and flashing him a smile that would probably charm someone a little closer to his own age. “‘Sup, boy? How you livin’?”

Hanzo shot Jesse a bewildered look, but all Jesse could do was shrug. He didn’t know what it meant, either. “Fine, thank you,” Hanzo said uncertainly.

“I’ll say,” Lúcio agreed, giving Hanzo another appraising look.

Jesse coughed loudly. “Well, anyway, this little creep’s Lúcio,” he said, gesturing to Lúcio, who looked affronted. “And this is -- ”

“Don’t say his name!”

“ -- Jamie,” Jesse finished, ignoring Lúcio’s plea. Normally he was all for indulging the kids’ jinxes, but he wasn’t feeling so generous today, and it definitely had nothing to do with the way Lúcio’d been looking at Hanzo.

“Yes! Ta,” Jamie crowed, and launched himself at Lúcio. “Suck it, asshole!”

“It is...nice to meet you both,” Hanzo said while Lúcio and Jamie brawled and almost fell to the floor, and Jesse tried to stifle his laughter.

Lena rolled her eyes. “Don’t mind the boys, love,” she said to Hanzo. “They’re just showing off is all.”

Jesse snorted fondly. “Yeah, showin’ off what a coupla turd monkeys they are. Ooh, nice one, Jamie,” he said when Jamie managed to knock Lúcio to the floor.

Lena heaved a dramatic sigh of long-suffering, but grinned. “Well, I’ve had you all rung up for ages, so you can pay me anytime now,” she said cheerily.

Grumbling good-naturedly about kids these days, Jesse paid, and Lúcio and Jamie eventually pulled each other up off the floor and slunk back into the kitchen. Jesse and Hanzo barely had time to fill up their drinks and choose a table before Lúcio called out that their order was ready. “I’ll get it,” Jesse said gallantly, trusting Hanzo to guard his Pepsi.

Lúcio was waiting behind the counter holding a tray stacked with food, but when Jesse stepped up to take it, Lúcio set it down just out of his reach.

“Hey, Jesse. Are you guys...y’know…” Lúcio tried to make an obscene gesture and got it wrong.

Jesse snorted. “It’s like this,” he corrected, demonstrating the right way to do it. “And I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“Ooh, that’s code for _no, but I wish_ ,” Lúcio said, grinning as he repeated the gesture. He still had it wrong, but it was closer.

Jesse scoffed. “No it ain’t.”

“Then how come you got all huffy when I was all like, _'sup boy, how you livin’_?” Lúcio demanded in an exaggerated imitation of himself.

Jesse rolled his eyes, unwilling to admit to Lúcio -- or to himself -- that something as dumb as that had made him sorta jealous. “‘Cause he’s way too old for you, kid. Hit on someone your own age.” He leaned over the counter to nab the tray and headed back towards Hanzo.

“You just want him for yourself!” Lúcio yelled after him. Jesse refused to dignify that with a response.

When Jesse slid into the booth Hanzo had chosen, Hanzo looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. “What was that about?”

“Oh, nothin’. Look, our food!” Jesse deflected awkwardly, and busied himself dividing the food amongst them. “Here’s what I picked for you. My first and third favorite burritos. Third ‘cause the second’s kinda similar to the first, and I wanted to give you some variety.”

“I appreciate the thoughtfulness,” Hanzo said with a little smile. “Thank you for the food, Jesse.”

“My pleasure,” Jesse replied, grinning and digging into his first Meximelt.

“I meant to ask…” Hanzo unwrapped his burrito and studied it for a moment. “Why was your morning off to a rough start? Is everything alright?” He took a careful bite, munching while looking at Jesse with concern.

In the excitement of getting lunch with Hanzo, Jesse’d almost forgotten. He laughed. “Oh, yeah, everythin’s fine. Just had a little tiff with Reinhardt is all.”

“A tiff with Reinhardt?” Hanzo frowned. “But he’s so...agreeable.”

Jesse scoffed. “Agreeable, yeah. But his FMK opinions are shit.”

“FMK?”

“Fuck, Marry, Kill,” Jesse explained. “It’s a game where you pick three people and you gotta choose who you’d fuck, who you’d marry, and who you’d kill between the three. It’s pretty fun.”

Hanzo's face lit up with recognition, and he nodded. “My brother has made me play that game before. It seems simple to me, but he says I’m terrible at it.”

Jesse snorted. “Well, you can’t be worse than Reinhardt. You wanna give it a go with the one we were doin’ earlier?”

“Sure.”

Jesse pulled out his phone and started scrolling through his pictures. “So me and Reinhardt were playin’ with Ana, Jack, and Gabe -- our bosses -- as the three people. And his answers were terrible.” Finally he found a picture featuring the three side by side. Jack was mid-blink, but that was okay. It’d only help Jesse’s case.

“Here they are. It’s a little different for you, since you don’t actually know ‘em personally, but we can go just on looks alone here.” Jesse put his phone on the table and pushed it towards Hanzo. “Whaddya think?”

Hanzo leaned over the table and narrowed his eyes at the picture intently, looking every bit as serious as when he’d been trying to decide what to order. He considered for a few seconds, then pointed at Gabe, then Ana, then Jack. “Fuck, marry, kill.” He sat back in his seat, appearing to be very confident in his choices.

Jesse could’ve kissed him right then and there. “ _Thank_ you!” he exclaimed. “Dead on. Reinhardt -- look.” He leaned forward to jab at the phone. “Reinhardt said fuck, marry, kill,” he said, pointing at Ana, then Jack, then Gabe.

Hanzo looked bemused. “You’re right. His opinions _are_ shit.”

Jesse guffawed at that. “God, Hanzo, you’re...” He trailed off, unsure where he’d been intending to go. _Brilliant? Gorgeous? Perfect for me?_ “Good at this game.”

Hanzo gave an airy shrug. “I have excellent taste,” he said smugly.

Still chuckling, Jesse turned his attention back to their food in an attempt to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. “So what’s the verdict on the burrito?”

Hanzo took another bite, slowly chewed, swallowed, and nodded. “It is very good,” he said decisively. “You chose well.”

“Whew,” Jesse said, grinning with relief. “Glad to hear it. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though. You might have good taste in FMK, but _I’ve_ got good taste in Mexican food,” he said proudly.

Hanzo raised an eyebrow at him. “This may be good, but does it really count as Mexican food?”

Jesse shrugged. “I mean, it ain’t Mexican food like my ma makes, and she'd be right pissed with me if she found out how much I eat here,” he said with a chuckle. “But it counts enough, I reckon. Anyway, hopefully it makes up for what I put you through last week.” He paused. “From what I heard, it sounded like you and Missus Willoughby had a, uh, interesting chat,” he said cautiously before taking a large bite out of his Meximelt.

Hanzo seemed unfazed. “Mrs. Willoughby is a lovely woman,” he said easily. “I had a pleasant time talking with her.”

Jesse grinned. “Really? I’m glad. She’s a sweet lady, just a little overbearin’ at times, what with the whole, y’know, granddaughters thing.”

“It wasn’t so bad,” Hanzo said with a shrug. “She was rather easily deterred from that pursuit.”

“Well, that just ain’t fair,” Jesse complained. “I been tellin’ her I’m into dudes for literal _years_ and she still hasn’t given up on me. How’d you get her to back off you so easy?”

“Perhaps she pitied me after she saw you laughing at my struggle,” Hanzo said with a pointed look.

Jesse snorted. “Sorry, darlin’, but you couldn’t possibly expect me not to lose my shit when you apologized for _me_ bein’ gay.”

Hanzo gave him a halfhearted scowl. “At the time, I was under the impression that that was what the situation called for.”

“Huh.” Jesse looked down at his food, pretending to be very interested in examining it. “And, uh, what exactly was the situation, if you don’t mind my askin’? I wasn’t intendin’ to eavesdrop on y’all -- ” That was a lie. “ -- but I mean, you were talkin’ kinda loud, only I couldn’t hear what Missus Willoughby said in between you apologizin’ for you bein’ gay, and you apologizin’ for me bein’ gay, and I was kinda wonderin’.”

Jesse glanced up to see that Hanzo, too, looked suddenly very interested in his food. “She… Well.” Hanzo cleared his throat. “She was saying to me that you were a very nice and good-looking young man.”

Jesse frowned. “I don’t see how y’got from that to apologizin’,” he said, scratching his nose. Mrs. Willoughby was always telling him that he was a nice and good-looking young man. It was part of why she was one of his favorite passengers.

Hanzo huffed a little. “I thought she was expressing her disappointment that both you and I were unavailable to her granddaughters. Giving my sympathies seemed appropriate.” He paused, and his cheeks reddened. “It wasn’t until later that I realized she had been implying...something else.”

“Oh -- ” Jesse’s eyes widened as he was hit with realization as well. “ _Oh_.” He looked away from Hanzo again, feeling his own face heating up. “You mean she meant -- hell.”

Jesse tried to fight down the blush on his face and the nervousness bubbling up inside him. He was a goddamn _adult_ , for crying out loud, not a teenager with his first crush. He rubbed fiercely at the back of his neck. “Listen, Hanzo, I’m not expectin’ you to be interested in me or anythin’, but -- ”

“I am,” Hanzo interrupted.

Jesse froze. His Meximelt fell out of his hand and onto the table with a squelch. “You what?”

“I am,” Hanzo repeated, his face reddening further. “Interested in you, that is.”

“Sweet Lord.” Jesse couldn’t stop gaping at Hanzo, sure he’d misheard. “Really?”

“Yes.” Hanzo nodded, bit his lip, and continued quickly, “However, if my interest is not reciprocated -- ”

“It is!” Jesse said quickly, startling Hanzo.

Hanzo swallowed visibly. “It… It is?”

“God, yeah, of course it is.” Jesse took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair, laughing incredulously. “Goddamn. _Really_?”

“Yes,” Hanzo repeated, rolling his eyes a bit. “The answer will not change.” He paused, and a smirk tugged at one corner of his mouth. “Actually, it might if you continue to ask.”

“Well, then, I’ll stop askin’,” Jesse said, grinning with giddy relief. After a moment Hanzo smiled back, wide and genuine, effectively stopping Jesse’s heart.

Jesse was going to have to learn to deal with that, probably. His grin grew.

 

***

 

It had taken some wheedling and an empty promise to eat slowly, but Jesse had convinced Angie to have lunch with him on Tuesday, both to make up for their missed Monday and so he could give her a play-by-play of his lunch with Hanzo. Angie’s appropriately excited reactions to the story had Jesse in a great mood, only improved by knowing he was about to get to see Hanzo again.

As soon as he got on the southbound bus, Jesse slid into the row of seats in front of Hanzo, kneeling on the seat directly in front of him and resting his arms on the headrest to gaze down at Hanzo.

Hanzo was typing diligently on his laptop. “Hello, Jesse,” he said without looking up.

“Hey, darlin’,” Jesse replied, grinning broadly.

Hanzo glanced up at him briefly before looking back to his laptop. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, just enjoyin’ the view,” Jesse said with a wink. He’d been flirting with Hanzo before, definitely, but now that he knew Hanzo was interested too, he’d decided to really _commit_ to it.

Hanzo didn't respond, but it looked like he was fighting a smile. Still grinning, Jesse pressed on.

“I never seen you wear short sleeves before.”

Hanzo grimaced a little at that and finally shut his laptop. “I made a mistake in my packing,” he admitted, plucking at the hem of his _MERCY MEDICAL_ T-shirt. “This was all they had in the hospital gift shop.”

“Looks real good on ya. You got rockin’ arms, darlin’,” Jesse said, eyeing Hanzo’s exposed arms with open appreciation.

“Rocking arms?” Hanzo repeated questioningly, fully smiling now.

“Yup.” Jesse nodded fervently. “And I didn't know you had a tattoo,” he added, gesturing to the intricate ink covering Hanzo’s left arm. “I like it.”

The smile suddenly dropped from Hanzo’s face. “That makes one of us.”

Oh, shit. “You don’t like it? How come?”

Hanzo hesitated. “It is a reminder of things I would prefer to forget.”

“You regret getting it?”

“You could say that.” Hanzo’s pretty face was twisted into a grimace.

Okay, sensitive subject. Jesse needed to get the smile back on Hanzo’s face, pronto. “Y’know, I’ve got a tattoo I regret, too.”

Hanzo raised an eyebrow, clearly not impressed. “Do you?”

“Sure do.” Jesse grinned mischievously. “Guess where it is.”

 

Hanzo pursed his lips. “Is it an ass tattoo?”

Jesse laughed. “No, but close.” He leaned forward over the seatback and lowered his voice, smirking when Hanzo leaned in closer too. “It’s a tramp stamp.”

Hanzo’s eyes widened. “You...have a tramp stamp?”

“Yep,” Jesse confirmed, grinning wolfishly.

“What is the tattoo?”

“Well, darlin’, that’s somethin’ better shown than told,” Jesse said with a wink.

Hanzo pulled back suddenly and cleared his throat. “I see.” His cheeks were flushed, to Jesse’s delight. Damn, this was fun.

Jesse chuckled. “Anyway, you're gonna get cold in those short sleeves,” he said airily.

Hanzo shook his head, his flush fading already. “I have been fine so far.”

“Yeah, with Torby drivin’. Warm day like this, Reinhardt’s gonna kick the A/C up higher’n should be legal, and then you’ll be wishin’ you had one of these bad boys.” Jesse tugged demonstratively at the red blanket wrapped around his own shoulders.

Hanzo eyed the blanket and raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly. “Doubtful. You look ridiculous.”

“Hey, now,” Jesse said, pouting. “I’ll have you know my ma made me this blanket, and I’ll be takin’ any insult to it as a direct insult to her, so watch yourself, partner.”

“Your mother made that?” Hanzo asked, sounding surprised. “May I see it?”

Obligingly, Jesse unwrapped himself from the blanket and handed it over to Hanzo for his inspection. Hanzo brushed his hands across the fabric. “This is beautiful,” he said, tracing the gold detailing around the hem with his finger. “Your mother is a talented woman.”

“Yeah, she is,” Jesse agreed proudly, taking the blanket back when Hanzo offered it. “She made it for me one summer we spent in Mexico. When I was growin’ up, she made all kinds of traditional stuff for our family. Still does, actually.” He wrapped the blanket back around his shoulders. “She wants to keep us close to our heritage, y’know?”

Hanzo nodded. “That is…” He interrupted himself with a yawn, which he covered quickly with his hand. “Very admirable.”

Jesse caught the yawn and covered his face with his blanket until it passed. “You tired?”

“A little,” Hanzo said, though if the bags under his eyes were anything to go by, that was an understatement. “I don’t sleep much on the nights I visit Genji.”

“Ah.” Jesse winced sympathetically. “How is Genji?”

Hanzo shrugged. “Fine.”

“Well, better than not fine,” Jesse offered optimistically, and Hanzo humored him with a small smile. “Anyway, you should get some shuteye. I’ll try and keep Reinhardt from gettin’ it too arctic in here.”

Hanzo leaned back in his seat, his eyes already closed. “If you insist. But I’m not cold.”

A little while later, Jesse looked up at the rearview mirror to see Hanzo sleeping, but shivering. Jesse shook his head knowingly. He’d tried to warn him.

Jesse tiptoed back to Hanzo, unwrapping the blanket from his shoulders as he went. He very carefully tucked the blanket around Hanzo, trying his best not to wake him. But before Jesse could make his escape, Hanzo’s eyes blinked open sleepily. “Jesse?”

“Yeah,” Jesse said quietly, face heating up with embarrassment at being caught in the act. “Sorry, darlin’, I didn’t mean to wake ya. You just looked real cold.”

Hanzo looked distressed. “But now you’ll be cold.”

Jesse shrugged. “I’m used to it.”

Hanzo shifted around and lifted up one side of the blanket. “Share.”

“What?”

“Share the blanket with me. Come here.” Apparently, Hanzo got bossy when he was sleepy.

Jesse wasn’t going to complain. He sat down next to Hanzo and accepted the offered half of the blanket. It wasn’t a very big blanket; not enough to cover much of two grown men. Seeming to realize this, Hanzo scooted closer to Jesse until their arms were pressed together, then jerked away suddenly. “Your arm. It’s freezing.”

“Oh, right.” Jesse chuckled. “Sorry ‘bout that. One of the downsides of having a metal arm, I guess.”

Hanzo hummed. “May I…” He pursed his lips. “May I take a closer look at it? I’m very curious about it.”

“Don’t you wanna sleep? I feel bad keepin’ you up when you’re so tired.”

But Hanzo was determined, and already looking a little more awake. “I will show you mine,” he said slowly, gesturing to his tattooed left arm, “if you show me yours.”

Well. That wasn’t an offer Jesse could refuse. He nodded wordlessly.

It took some adjusting -- Jesse twisted to the side a bit, and Hanzo ended up pulling his legs up onto his seat so his back was against the window and he was facing Jesse fully. The blanket bunched up over Hanzo’s knees, so it was barely on Jesse at all anymore, but Jesse didn’t say anything.

Hanzo rested his left arm on his knee, and Jesse followed suit on Hanzo’s other knee, placing his arm parallel to Hanzo’s. Jesse gazed down at both their arms, captivated by the contrast of his own metal joints beside the smooth, beautiful intricacies of Hanzo’s tattoo.

After a minute he looked up and saw Hanzo staring intently at the prosthetic, the fingers of his other hand hovering above it. “You can touch it, if you want,” Jesse offered.

Hanzo looked up at him with dark, intense eyes and lowered his fingers until they touched the smooth metal of Jesse’s wrist. Jesse’s breath caught in his throat.

“You can touch mine, as well,” Hanzo murmured, his eyes still on Jesse’s.

Jesse swallowed. That seemed much more intimate than letting Hanzo touch his prosthetic, but if Hanzo was offering... Jesse dropped his gaze back down to Hanzo’s arm, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Hanzo’s fingers start to move across his wrist. Slowly, Jesse lifted his hand.

Hanzo’s skin was cool beneath Jesse’s fingertips as he gently traced the dragon head at Hanzo’s wrist. He brushed his fingers up Hanzo’s arm along the swirls and the scales, marvelling at the details.

Goosebumps rose beneath his touch, and Jesse paused and looked up to see Hanzo watching him, hand pressed flat against Jesse’s forearm.

“That tickles,” Hanzo said, but he didn’t pull away.

“Sorry,” Jesse breathed, and neither did he.

Hanzo broke the trance first, looking down at Jesse’s arm and sliding his palm across it. “How did you get this?” he asked quietly.

Jesse shrugged, letting his fingers resume their careful tracing of Hanzo’s tattoo. He pressed against Hanzo’s skin a little more firmly this time to try and keep it from tickling so much. “I was mixed up with some bad folks when I was younger. Involved in some petty crime and some not-so-petty crime, y’know? Bit off more’n I could chew. Had a mishap.”

Hanzo nodded, seemingly lost in thought. He took Jesse’s wrist and gently flipped his arm over to run his fingers over the grooves on the underside. After a moment he spoke again. “Are you familiar with the yakuza?”

Jesse frowned. “I wouldn’t say familiar, but I heard of ‘em. Japanese crime families, right?”

Hanzo huffed out a little laugh. “More or less. My family…” Hanzo paused, stared down at Jesse’s arm with his brow furrowed as he tapped repeatedly on a random joint. “Yakuza leadership runs in my family, to put it simply. I was next in line.”

“Oh. Wow,” Jesse said, eyes wide with surprise.

“To say that I regret getting the tattoo is inaccurate. You have to choose something to be able to regret it, I think.” Hanzo tilted his head to the side, resting it against the back of his seat. “With this, I didn’t have much of a choice.”

Jesse hummed softly to show he was still listening while he kept tracing the tattoo, and Hanzo continued, “This tattoo was a symbol of my loyalty and future position. When I left Japan…” He grimaced. “When I left, it became a reminder of my failures and dishonor.”

“Do you wish you hadn’t left?”

“No,” Hanzo said fiercely. Jesse nodded. He didn’t think he would, either.

Jesse squeezed Hanzo’s wrist gently, and Hanzo looked up at him. “Thanks for tellin’ me about it,” he said, offering Hanzo a smile. “It’s nice knowin’ more about you.”

Hanzo gave him a tired smile back. “It’s nice having someone to talk to,” he mumbled. His hand had stilled on Jesse’s arm, fingers curled loosely and resting near the heel of Jesse’s metal palm.

Not wanting to overstay his welcome, Jesse gave Hanzo’s wrist one more squeeze and started to pull his hand back. But Hanzo stopped him, wrapping his fingers around Jesse’s.

“Don’t stop,” Hanzo murmured, his cheeks flushing a bit. “Feels nice.”

Butterflies threatened to burst from Jesse’s chest. “You got it, darlin’.” He tried to tug his hand out of Hanzo’s grasp, but Hanzo didn’t let go.

“Uh, darlin’? You’re gonna need to let go if you want me to keep goin’,” Jesse said, reluctantly, because he was more or less holding hands with Hanzo, and there wasn’t anything he wanted to do more than hold hands with Hanzo. Well, maybe a couple things. Like kiss Hanzo.

Hanzo gripped Jesse's fingers tighter. “I changed my mind. You can use your other hand.”

Jesse chuckled lightly. “Whatever you want, sweetheart.” He managed to twist his fingers to interlock with Hanzo’s and ran his thumb across the back of Hanzo’s hand. Hanzo’s eyes closed and he hummed softly, a little smile on his lips.

Jesse wiggled his prosthetic arm a bit -- it was a little stiff from holding it still for so long -- and reached over to Hanzo’s arm. “It’ll be cold,” he warned. Hanzo just muttered incoherently, so Jesse let his metal fingertips fall to Hanzo’s skin. He abandoned looking at and tracing the tattoo in favor of stroking absently so he could watch Hanzo’s face.

Hanzo seemed more at peace than Jesse had ever seen him. He looked tired, but content, with that satisfied little smile still on his face. He was so goddamn pretty Jesse could barely stand it.

After a few minutes Hanzo’s breathing evened out and his grip on Jesse’s hand slackened. Jesse didn’t dare move or stop stroking Hanzo’s arm for fear of waking him.

All too soon, they reached a stop with a passenger waiting outside. “Damn you, Bastion,” Jesse muttered under his breath. He carefully disentangled his hand from Hanzo’s and hurried off the bus.

“Hiya, Bastion. How’s Ganymede?”

Once he’d made the appropriate amount of small talk and got Sebastion all settled, Jesse returned to where he’d been sitting with Hanzo, hoping he hadn’t been woken.

He had. He was sitting up more-or-less straight, still covered by the blanket, and looking very grumpy. “You left,” he said accusingly.

Jesse chuckled guiltily as he sat back down and pulled the blanket over himself again. “Sorry, darlin’, had my job to do real quick. Bastion don’t get off till after you, though, and I doubt we’ll get anyone else on before then, so I’m all yours.”

“Good,” Hanzo grumbled sleepily. He scooted closer to Jesse and elbowed him softly. It took Jesse a second to get the hint, but when he did he quickly lifted his arm to slip it around Hanzo’s shoulders, making sure his arm was only touching the blanket and not Hanzo’s bare skin, so it wouldn’t make him cold.

Hanzo grunted his approval and wiggled even closer to Jesse, his eyes already closed again when he put his head on Jesse’s shoulder. Smiling happily, Jesse tightened his arm around Hanzo and rested his chin on the top of Hanzo’s head.

He could get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed!! i love...my boys...
> 
> millions of thanks to my beta brenna!!! and thanks to everyone kudos-ing and commenting and following me on tumblr and stuff! you guys are awesome :')
> 
> [gnarlybit](http://gnarlybit.tumblr.com) on tumblr drew art of a scene from this chapter!!! it's really really beautiful and i cry whenever i look at it, check it out [here](http://bit.ly/2cDXvkO)!
> 
> tumblr: [@sodawife](http://sodawife.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [@GENJAMlN](http://twitter.com/GENJAMlN)


	4. Chapter 4

The person who stepped off the bus at Hanzo’s stop the following Monday was not Jesse.

Hanzo frowned at the girl. She was probably a few years younger than him, and she had a tattoo under one eye that, combined with her height and muscular build, made her look very impressive.

She smiled politely at him. “Hello, sir. May I get that for you?” she asked, gesturing to his suitcase.

Hanzo nudged the suitcase towards her and mumbled a thanks before making his way onto the bus and to his usual seat, trying and failing to quell the disappointment that was sinking through him at Jesse’s absence.

The girl followed him onto the bus just a minute later. “Can I see your ticket?”

Hanzo handed his ticket over, and as the girl took it he blurted, “Where’s Jesse?”

She shrugged. “He’s sick today.” She looked down at the ticket and recognition dawned on her face. “Oh, you’re Hanzo?”

“Yes,” Hanzo answered, frowning. Why did she know who he was?

“I’m Fareeha. I’m a friend of Jesse’s,” she said with a more genuine smile. “Jesse told me about you.”

“He did?” Hanzo’s eyes widened. “What did he say?”

“That’s between me and Jesse,” Fareeha said, and Hanzo thought she might be smirking. “I do have a message for you from him, though. Hang on.” She gave Reinhardt the signal Hanzo had seen Jesse use many times before, and as the bus started moving she sat down in the empty seat next to Hanzo.

She pulled out her phone and tapped around until she found what she was looking for. “Alright, this is the first text I got from Jesse today. He says -- ” Fareeha deepened her voice into a passable imitation of Jesse’s accent. “ _Hey Fareeha, I’m so sick right now I’m practically throwing up my own balls, L-O-L, can you cover for me today please? And tell Hanzo hi and I’m sorry I’m not there_.”

Hanzo couldn’t decide whether to frown at Jesse’s unfortunate-sounding illness or smile at the message for him. He settled on doing neither. “I see. Thank you for delivering the message.”

“No problem.” Fareeha started to get up, but stopped. “Do you want me to, like...tell him you said hi back or anything?”

“If you wouldn't mind,” Hanzo said, relieved he hadn't had to ask.

“Okay, just hi, or anything else?”

Hanzo considered. “Please tell him that I say hello, and that I hope he's doing well, current circumstances notwithstanding.”

Fareeha glanced at him sideways. “Uh, I'm just gonna say that you say hi and hope he feels better soon.”

“That's fine.”

Fareeha typed a quick message and stood up. “Well, let me know if you need anything, alright?”

“I will. Thank you.”

Fareeha gave him a little salute and headed back to the front of the bus, and Hanzo pulled out his laptop with a sigh. With Jesse gone, there was no excuse not to get some work done.

He'd only been working for maybe twenty minutes when Fareeha came back and sat down next to him again. “So Jesse says he’s doing fine, but he misses you, and wants to know how you’re doing,” she reported dutifully, sighing a little.

Hanzo noticed the sigh and frowned. “I appreciate your help, but I don’t want you to feel that you have to be a messenger between Jesse and myself.”

“Oh, no, I’m not bugged by that, don’t worry,” Fareeha assured him, waving a hand dismissively. “It’s just… _How_?”

“How what?”

“How did...this happen?” she said, gesturing vaguely between Hanzo and her phone. “You and Jesse, I mean. He said you just met a few weeks ago.”

Hanzo thought back. “Yes, that’s true. Four weeks ago, today.”

“And he’s already asking me to pass messages to you and saying that he misses you.”

“Apparently so.” Hanzo frowned. “Is that a bad thing?”

“No, I’m like, really jealous, actually,” Fareeha said, smiling sheepishly. “I’ve been crushing on the same person for like, _forever_ , and nothing’s ever happened. How’d you get things going?”

“Do you actually want my advice?” Hanzo asked dubiously.

Fareeha shrugged. “If you have any, yeah.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“Yeah, but Jesse does, and he likes you, so you’re obviously doing something right.”

Hanzo thought it was more likely that he was just really, really lucky, but he couldn’t help feeling a little smug about his apparent success anyway. “Alright.” He shut his laptop and shifted in his seat to face Fareeha, giving her his full attention. “First of all, you are not _crushing_. You are an adult. Adults do not crush.”

“Okay, how would you say it, then?”

Hanzo considered. “You could say that...you harbor an interest in pursuing a relationship of a romantic nature with this person.”

Fareeha snorted. “Really? That's better than just saying I have a crush?”

“Yes.”

“Well, you're the expert,” Fareeha conceded, though she still looked skeptical. “What else have you got?”

Hanzo was beginning to realize that he actually did not have that much insight on the subject, but his pride was too flattered by Fareeha’s wanting his advice for him to back down now. “I need to know more about the situation. How long have you known this person?”

Fareeha scratched her head. “Uh, five years, I think? And I've pretty much always had a thing for her.”

Hanzo pursed his lips. Long-term interest in a woman was not really an area he had much expertise in. “She must be very special,” he said vaguely.

“She is,” Fareeha agreed with a wistful sigh. “I’ve always thought she was way out of my league, but lately I’ve been thinking, I don’t know, maybe I have a chance.”

“I see.” Hanzo nodded sagely. “Has anything...happened? That made you think that?”

“Not really anything major,” Fareeha said with a shrug. “We’ve been texting a lot lately. And...possibly flirting? I have a hard time telling if she’s flirting or just being nice, and I’m shit at flirting.”

“I’m sure you are adequate at it,” Hanzo said, attempting to be reassuring.

Fareeha scoffed. “No, really. Just look at the last thing I said to her.” She swiped at her phone a few times and pushed it into Hanzo’s hands.

He looked down at the phone and read the most recently sent text out loud. “ _Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?_ ” He gave Fareeha a disappointed look. Even _he_ knew that one. “You could do worse, but it’s not very original, Fareeha.” She grimaced, and he looked back down at her phone. He caught sight of the name at the top of the screen and his eyes widened. “Angela? Your crush is Angela?”

Fareeha’s face reddened. “Um, maybe,” she muttered, but quickly folded under Hanzo’s accusing stare. “Okay, yeah, it’s Angela. So what?” she said defensively.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed. Angela is very deserving of your affections.”

Fareeha sighed. “She is. But now you know what I'm talking about. Totally out of my league.”

Hanzo shook his head. “I don't think so. I doubt you're giving yourself enough credit. She may be in an...advanced league, but who's to say you are not in the same one?” he tried. Not his best metaphor.

Fareeha thought for a moment before nodding, to Hanzo’s relief. “That’s...weirdly inspiring. Thanks, Hanzo. You’re pretty cool.” She grinned slyly. “No wonder Jesse wanted to snatch you up as fast as he could.”

Hanzo scoffed at that, but could feel his face heating a bit. “That’s...no,” he grumbled, looking away with embarrassment.

“Sorry,” Fareeha said, but she didn’t look sorry at all. “Anyway, I should text Jesse back. What did you want me to say?”

“Tell him…” Hanzo paused. “What was it that he said?”

“Uh, let me see.” Fareeha looked down at her phone. “Okay, after I told him you said hi and hoped he felt better soon, he said this.” She handed her phone back to Hanzo.

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_LOL well then i’m glad we agree ;-))) aw really?? Hes so great huh :-) tell him that im ok!! I miss him sort of a lot tho lol i really hope im better enough to be back tomorrow… can u ask him how hes doing pls??_

Hanzo stared at Fareeha. “This is _not_ what you told me earlier,” he said accusingly.

Fareeha shrugged. “I summarized.”

“You left out some very important parts.”

“Such as?”

“Such as…” Hanzo pulled at the cuffs of his sleeves. “The part where he misses me sort of a lot.”

“I said he missed you!”

“You left out the _sort of a lot_. That’s important. And also the part where he says I’m great.”

Fareeha rolled her eyes and smirked. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were fishing for compliments.”

“I was not,” Hanzo muttered. He handed the phone back to Fareeha. “Please let Jesse know that I am fine, but I miss him as well, and I look forward to seeing him tomorrow.”

“Can do. Do you want to just text him yourself, though? I can give you his number, or you can just borrow my phone, if you want,” Fareeha offered. 

Hanzo stared at her. “You would let me do that?”

She shrugged. “Why not?” 

“Again: You don’t know me.”

Fareeha sighed. “We already went over this, man. Jesse likes you, so I do too. Also, with all that advice you gave me, you’re kinda my wingman now,” she added with a smirk. “So if I let you borrow my phone to text Jesse, that makes me your wingman too.”

Hanzo pursed his lips, considering. “Alright. We can be each other’s wingmen. Or wingwomen, as it were.”

“Nice,” Fareeha said, grinning. She started to hand her phone back to Hanzo, but before he could take it from her she yanked it out of his reach. “Oh, first! Before I give this to you, you have to promise not to tell Jesse about _any_ of this. The me liking Angela part, specifically.”

Hanzo frowned. “Why not? He could probably offer some useful insights into the matter. He’s very close with Angela.”

“That’s exactly the problem. They’re like, _best_ best friends. There’s no way Jesse wouldn’t snitch to Angela that I’m into her.” Fareeha held out her free hand with her pinky extended. “Promise.”

Hanzo stared at the proffered digit. It had likely been over a decade since he last made a pinky promise. But when Fareeha didn’t back down, he slowly extended his own pinky and wrapped it around hers. “Promise.”

“Good. Now we’re officially bros.” Fareeha nodded approvingly and dropped her phone into Hanzo’s hands. “Knock yourself out. No sexting, though.”

“I wouldn’t,” Hanzo insisted, embarrassed by the very suggestion, but Fareeha just chuckled and went back to the front of the bus.

Still a little red in the face, Hanzo unlocked Fareeha’s phone and reread Jesse’s most recent text. As he thought about what he wanted to say to Jesse, he thumbed at the screen absently, and couldn’t help but notice that there were rather a lot of texts between Jesse and Fareeha that morning.

Fareeha had said Jesse had told her about him… But she’d also said that was between Jesse and herself. But she’d willingly given Hanzo control of her phone. It didn’t take long for Hanzo’s curiosity to get the better of him; he told himself that a little additional context would better help him decide what to say to Jesse. He scrolled up to the first message of the day.

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Hey fareeha im so sick right now im practically throwing up my own balls lol can u cover for me today pls???? And tell hanzo hi and im sorry im not there :-/_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Sure thing. But uh who’s hanzo_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_OH MY GOD_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_ONLY THE HOTTEST AND COOLEST GUY IN THE WORLD FAREEHA_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_I cant believe i didnt tell u abt him yet holy shit_

Hanzo felt an embarrassed heat prickling up his neck. He shouldn’t be reading this.

He kept reading.

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Wow. Ok i mean that’s nice but doesn’t really answer my question haha_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Hes a newish passenger! Gets on at stop 4. Hes been coming every monday for the past few weeks so hell probly be there today_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_He takes the bus EVERY WEEK? Why?_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Idk dude thats his business_

Hanzo felt an unexpected warmth in his chest. The reason for his frequent trips wasn’t exactly a secret, but it was certainly personal. That Jesse wouldn’t tell…

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Fair enough haha. How will i know who he is though?_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_He is an absolute fuckin dreamboat, fareeha. You cant miss him honestly_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Lmao ok well we’ll see_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Ok, well, i just met hanzo. You’re right. He IS a dreamboat_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_???? Really?? I mean of course he is but i wasnt sure if youd be able to tell_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_I’m a lesbian, not an idiot. Anyway he says hi back and he hopes you feel better soon_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_LOL well then i’m glad we agree ;-))) aw really?? Hes so great huh :-) tell him that im ok!! I miss him sort of a lot tho lol i really hope im better enough to be back tomorrow… can u ask him how hes doing pls??_

Hanzo turned Fareeha’s phone face down in his lap and leaned back in his seat, eyes wide. He needed a minute to process everything he’d just read.

There wasn’t really a lot of new information, other than Fareeha’s agreeing with Jesse that he was a _dreamboat_. That was mildly interesting, but useless. Other than that: Jesse liked him, and was excited about him, and thought he was a dreamboat, and respected his privacy and his space, and missed him.

Dear Lord. Jesse McCree was perfect.

Heart beating a little more quickly than usual, Hanzo unlocked the phone and began to compose a message.

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Jesse, this is Hanzo. Fareeha let me borrow her phone. How are you doing?_

Hanzo barely had time to worry about what he’d said before he received a reply.

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Really?? U sure u arent fareeha just messin with me?_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_I’m sure._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Well then howdy hanzo!! :-) how u doin?_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_I believe I asked first. You’re sick?_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Oh yeah lmao i just have a stomach bug, happens annoyingly often when ur on public transporation all day every day haha :-) ill be better tomorrow!! How are u?_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_I hope so. I’m doing fine, thank you._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Glad to hear it!! And u hope im better tomorrow? Do u miss me? :-D_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Yes. To both._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Well goddamn hanzo you can get me all flustered even when im not there hahaha :-)))_

Hanzo was feeling a little flustered himself. He decided to deflect.

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Why are there so many parentheses in your smiley face?_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Extra smiles for u darlin :-))))_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_That seems...unnecessary._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_:-)))))))))_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Now you have nine mouths? That changes my perception of you._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Ooh, from what to what? ;-)))))))))_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_From a ridiculous cowboy with one mouth to a really ridiculous cowboy with nine mouths._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Oh u sure know how to flatter a man darlin! ;-(((((((((_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_I’m just kidding. What I should have said is that one smile from you is enough._

There was a lull. Hanzo had a moment of panic before Jesse's next text came in.

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Well that is definitely the cutest thing anyones ever said to me ever. Im gonna die_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Don’t die._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Ok :-)_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_So hows the bus without me? ;-)_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_It’s fine. Fareeha is pleasant company. Apparently we’re bros now._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Lmao really?? How did that happen??_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_I’m not allowed to tell you. Sorry._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_What!!! You come into my bus,,,,you become bros with my replacement,,,,,,u wont give me the dirt,,,,,,,,hanzo u betray me_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Not true. I made no deal with you that I would keep you informed of the goings-on of the bus in your absence. Telling you would betray Fareeha. We made a pinky promise._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Oh my god. You made a pinky promise_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Is there something wrong with that?_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_No i just...i cant believe you made a PINKY PROMISE with fareeha oh my god thats the best thing ive ever heard_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_I’m not sure how you intend to pursue your interest in me if you’re going to lose your shit at everything I say or do._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Hahahaha well good point but the answer to that would be very carefully and enthusiastically darlin :-)_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_You are ridiculous, Jesse._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Lmao well aint that the reason you like me? ;-)_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_One of many._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Ok im gonna go ahead and change the subject cuz all i wanna do is ask you for the other reasons and then if you dont tell me ill probably die but if you DO tell me ill DEFINITELY die and u told me not to die SO. Moving on_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_You got any fun weekend plans?_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Not really. Probably just catching up on work. What about you?_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Well...its my birthday this week :-)_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Is it really?_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Wouldnt lie to ya sweetheart ;-)_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Which day? How old are you turning?_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Thursday, and guess!!!!!! :-D_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_I would rather not._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Aw cmon i just wanna know if i look my age!!! Itll be fun ;-))))_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Fine. I will guess that you are turning...30._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Not too shabby!!!! Im turning 28 :-)_  

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Really? I’m 28 now too._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_!!! No shit??_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_No shit._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Nice :-D but yeah so since its my birthday week the bus crews gonna hit up our favorite bar friday night!! Actually we do that most friday nights lol but this time the north crews gonna come down too since its my birthday :-D_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_That sounds like a fun way to celebrate your birthday._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Yeah it is!!_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_I was actually wanting to ask you tho if...you might want to come?_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Like with me_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Like as my date_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_I wanted to ask you in person today but then i. U know. Had to go and get sick_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_I would love to._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Really??? :-)_

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Of course. Like I said, it sounds like fun, and if you would like for me to accompany you, I would love to do you._

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Ummmm...that was a typo right?_

Hanzo frowned. That seemed unlikely. He rarely made typos. He read over his last text again, and when he got to the last word he paled. The phone buzzed again.

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_I mean dont get me wrong i am by no means opposed to the idea of you doing me but i dont think thats what you meant to say just now heh_

Hanzo stood and walked numbly up the aisle to sit across from Fareeha. It took her a second to look up from the comic book she was reading, but when she did her eyes widened with worry. “Oh my god, what happened?”

Hanzo handed the phone to her. “Help.”

Fareeha took the phone, frowning. Her eyes widened even further as she read the texts on the screen. “Yikes. Nice Freudian slip, buddy.”

“Help,” Hanzo repeated, feeling more frantic by the second.

“Relax. We're bros now, remember? I got you.” Fareeha started typing away furiously.

Hanzo glanced over at Reinhardt, hoping he wasn’t paying attention to them. Luckily, the massive driver seemed as absorbed in his outdated pop radio station as ever. A little relieved by that at least, Hanzo turned back to Fareeha.

“What are you saying to him?” 

“I’m just saying that I confiscated my phone from you since you broke my no-sexting rule.” She hit send.

“That wasn’t my intention,” Hanzo insisted desperately. “You have to tell him it was an accident.”

Fareeha shook her head. “He knows it was an accident. That part’s fine. Now we’re just trying to salvage your image as Mr. Hot-slash-Cool. Don’t want Jesse to know how much of a gay panic you’re in right now.”

“I’m not panicking,” Hanzo panicked. The phone buzzed, and he practically jumped out of his seat.

“You are, but you don’t need to be. Look.” Fareeha handed her phone to him again.

TO: JESSE MCCREE  
_Hey jess, it’s fareeha again. I told hanzo he wasn’t allowed to sext you from my phone but i guess he just couldn’t resist, so i had to confiscate it_

FROM: JESSE MCCREE  
_Lol!!!! Thats a shame, i was having a nice time talking to him. I should probly get some rest anyway tho so i can be back tomorrow!! Thanks for letting hanzo borrow your phone fareeha ur the best!!!!! :-)))))_

“See? All better.”

Hanzo could feel the tightness in his chest gradually relaxing. He took a deep breath in and let it out. “Okay. Right. Thank you, Fareeha.”

“No problem,” she replied with a reassuring smile. “We’re almost to the lunch stop now. Are you gonna get off?”

“I don’t usually.”

“You could get lunch with me, if you want.”

Hanzo smiled back at her. “Thank you. That’s very kind.” He suddenly had an idea, and his smile turned into a smirk. “You should have lunch with Angela instead, though.”

Fareeha frowned. “With Angela? She’s probably busy.”

Hanzo shook his head. “She has lunch with Jesse every Monday. Well, except last Monday,” he corrected, “but I suspect that was just so that Jesse could have lunch with me instead. So it seems likely that she would be available today, considering Jesse’s absence.”

“I mean, maybe…”

“You should ask her to go to lunch with you.”

“I can’t do that,” Fareeha protested, sounding scandalized.

“Why not?”

“It’s too forward? I’m not hungry? I’m suddenly sick?”

Hanzo rolled his eyes. “Those are all very poor excuses, Fareeha.”

“I know, but…” She shrugged.

“My asking Jesse to lunch last week was the first step in our acknowledging our interest in one another. It’s a good idea,” Hanzo insisted.

Fareeha scrunched up her face. “You’re…probably not wrong,” she said through gritted teeth.

“I’m not,” Hanzo assured her. He might have been pulling his other advice out of his ass, but he was actually pretty confident about this particular piece. “You just helped me immensely with Jesse. I am helping you with this.”

“Ugh, okay. Fine. I’ll do it,” Fareeha said, her face still twisted in a reluctant grimace as she began to type. “If this blows up in my face, I’m telling Jesse you picked your nose in front of me and ate it.”

Hanzo sighed with exasperation. “It will not blow up in your face.”

“We’ll see.” Fareeha stopped, scrutinized her screen for a minute, and held it out to Hanzo. “How’s this?” He took the phone from her and read over what she had typed.

TO: ANGELA 0:)  
_Hey do you want to get lunch since jesse’s gone?_

“That will do,” Hanzo said, and hit send.

Fareeha gasped and snatched the phone back. “I wasn’t done!”

“Yes, you were. It was fine.”

“I should’ve added a smiley face. I should’ve said _with me_. This totally isn’t clear. Oh, crap. I should send a followup text.”

Hanzo sighed wearily. “It’s done. It was a perfectly adequate message. Leave it alone.”

“You keep saying _adequate_ like it’s okay!”

“That’s the definition of adequate.”

“Adequate isn’t good enough when it comes to Angela! I -- ” Fareeha’s phone buzzed in her hand, and she gasped again. She thrust the phone towards Hanzo. “You read it.”

Hanzo rolled his eyes, but took the phone and opened the text to read it. “She says yes.”

“Really?” Fareeha grabbed the phone back again to read the message for herself. “Holy shit. Holy _shit._ ”

“I told you so,” Hanzo said, smug.

Fareeha laughed giddily. “Yeah, yeah, you’re the best wingman ever, is that what you want me to say?”

“I won’t object to it.”

“You are _such_ a compliment-fisher,” Fareeha said, reaching across the aisle to shove at Hanzo’s arm playfully.

Hanzo was feeling much too pleased with himself to protest. Instead he just reached over to shove Fareeha back and was met with impressively firm and defined muscles. “Good heavens. Your _biceps_."

“I was just thinking the same about you!” Fareeha said with a laugh. “I just didn't want to say anything and feed your already massive ego."

Hanzo rolled his eyes, trying to hold back a smile. "Yes, well. I work out."

"Yeah? What gym?"

"I haven't really settled on one," Hanzo admitted, wrinkling his nose. "I have checked out a few since moving here, but I have yet to find one I like enough to consider a membership."

"You should come to mine with me!" Fareeha reached over again to give Hanzo a light punch to the shoulder. "We can be workout buddies."

Hanzo brightened. "I would like that very much. Which gym?"

"Anubis Gym. It's great, plus I have a friend who works there there, Zarya. She gives me a discount at the smoothie bar."

"I haven't been to that one yet," Hanzo mused. "Certainly worth a try. When are you next going?"

"I go every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, sometimes more. Are you free Wednesday morning? Want to come and check it out, see if it's worthy of your getting a membership there?"

"Yes, that sounds good. I have faith you will not disappoint me," Hanzo said, trying to keep a straight face as Fareeha gave him a dramatic scowl.

They traded phones to exchange numbers, finishing and trading back just as the bus slowed to a stop in the K-mart parking lot.

When Hanzo looked out the window he could see Angela already waiting outside. "Ah, there's Angela. Ready for your lunch date," he said with a teasing raise of his eyebrows.

“Oh my god.” Fareeha stood up quickly, straightened her shirt, ran a hand through her hair. “Do I look okay?”

“You look great, Fareeha.”

“Are you sure you can tell?”

Hanzo rolled his eyes. “I’m gay, not an idiot,” he said with a smirk.

Fareeha winced at the reference to what she’d texted to Jesse earlier. “Uh, don’t tell Jesse you read those texts, okay?”

“I won’t.”

Fareeha laughed nervously. “You sure you don’t wanna come? Be my buffer?”

Hanzo shook his head. “You’ll be fine on your own. And I need to focus on my work, anyway. I...didn’t get anything done while I was texting Jesse,” he admitted.

Fareeha grinned. “Yeah, ‘cause work wasn’t what you wanted to be doing, huh?”

Hanzo scoffed and elbowed her lightly. “Don’t keep Angela waiting. It’s rude.”

“Okay, okay. I'll text you tomorrow about the gym. Wish me luck.”

“You don’t need it, but good luck.”

Fareeha gave Hanzo a showy salute and a nervous smile before heading off the bus. Hanzo surreptitiously watched through the window as she approached Angela and gave her a hug. Angela laughed at something Fareeha said, making Fareeha blush profusely. After a minute, they headed towards the collection of fast food restaurants across the parking lot. Hanzo smiled to himself. _He_ made that happen.

He moved back to his usual seat, opened his laptop for the first time in a solid couple of hours, and went back to work. It was not nearly as fun as texting Jesse or talking with Fareeha. He sighed and dove in, quickly losing track of time.

“Goodbye, Hanzo! See you tomorrow!” Reinhardt bellowed, startling Hanzo. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to being addressed so...loudly.

“Goodbye, Reinhardt,” he replied, waving as Reinhardt ambled off the bus. Hanzo looked down at his watch. The lunch break was nearly over, and Fareeha and Angela weren’t back yet. Hopefully that was a good sign.

A few seconds later the replacement driver, Torbjörn, hopped onto the bus and began his usual multitude of adjustments to the driver’s seat. Reinhardt was nearly twice Torbjörn’s size and several times his girth; the number of changes required to change the driver’s seat to an appropriate height and distance for the little man was tremendous.

Hanzo glanced out the window and saw Fareeha and Angela approaching the buses. They were both smiling, and they hugged again before parting ways. As soon as Angela turned away, Fareeha looked up and met Hanzo’s eyes through the window, and she gave him a thumbs up and a huge grin. Hanzo smiled and gave her a thumbs up back.

“ _I_ _told you so_ ,” he mouthed at her. Fareeha stuck out her tongue and got onto the southbound bus.

Angela was still smiling when she got onto the bus and signaled Torbjörn. She walked down the aisle towards Hanzo as the bus started moving. “Hi, Hanzo. How are you today?”

“I’m well, thank you. And yourself?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

“How was your lunch with Fareeha?” Hanzo couldn’t resist asking.

Angela blushed a little bit, which Hanzo filed away to tell Fareeha. “It was good. We went to Panera.”

Hanzo tried to think of a way to ask for more details without giving away Fareeha’s secret and came up short. “That sounds fun,” he said instead.

“It was,” she agreed, smiling softly. “She told me you were texting Jesse from her phone earlier. You can borrow mine, if you want.”

Hanzo shook his head. “Thank you, but that’s okay. I need to focus on my work.”

“Alright. Let me know if you need anything, okay?”

“Thank you, Angela.”

Angela nodded and headed back to her seat, still smiling. Hanzo briefly considered texting Fareeha and hounding her for details, but decided he could wait until he saw her at the gym, so he could pester her in person.

He leaned back in his seat and turned his gaze out the window. The bus had already made it out of the tiny town they’d been stopped in, and as always, the landscape was flat, barren, and a dead-looking yellowish-brown.

There was something relaxing about the empty land, he decided. It was open. Free. It wasn’t beautiful to him, not yet, but it could be.

A cactus stood in the distance, tall and proud. Hanzo thought of Jesse and smiled.

 

***

 

“Sir, please calm down -- ”

“I will do no such thing,” Hanzo snapped at the harried doctor.

“It’ll be okay, sir, I promise -- ”

“That is my brother in there.” Hanzo shoved a hand back through his hair, knocking it out of its tie, but he didn’t care. “My little brother. Nothing about this is okay.”

The doctor pushed her glasses up her nose and stood up a little straighter. “Regardless, you can’t go in right now. We’ll keep you updated on his status and let you see him as soon as is acceptable. You may wait out here until then.”

Hanzo wanted to shake her, or punch a hole through the wall, or sue somebody. Anybody. He held his hands at his sides curled them into fists so tight that his short fingernails cut painfully into his palms. “Fine. Fetch me at the earliest possible time.”

“I will,” the doctor said tiredly, and went back into Genji’s room, shutting the door in Hanzo’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok!!! millions of thanks as always to my wonderful beta [brenna](http://butchlesbiankillian.tumblr.com)!!! your feedback is so good always!
> 
> more millions of thanks to you all for reading and especially for commenting!! a couple of the most recent comments helped me push through to finish this update so i really really appreciate that :')
> 
> thanks i love you!!!!
> 
> tumblr: [@sodawife](http://sodawife.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [@GENJAMlN](http://twitter.com/GENJAMlN)


	5. Chapter 5

Jesse was feeling incredibly antsy. Since he’d been sick the day before, it’d been a full week since he’d last seen Hanzo, and that should probably be illegal, he thought.

He should’ve asked for Hanzo’s number when they were texting with Fareeha’s phone, but he’d been too distracted trying to flirt with Hanzo to think of it. Actually, he should’ve asked for Hanzo’s number when he’d first laid eyes on him. That would’ve been weird, probably, but at least he might _have_ it now.

The first half of the Tuesday route was agonizingly slow. Jesse found himself checking his watch every fifteen minutes, thinking it _must’ve_ been an hour since the last time he checked. He kept starting to text Angie to ask to talk to Hanzo, but deciding against it; after the eighth deleted draft, he just turned his phone off to avoid the temptation entirely.

Finally they reached the lunch stop, and Jesse grinned with relief. He rushed through his usual midway-point speech, grabbed his things, and practically ran off the bus. Maybe Hanzo would want to go to Taco Bell with him again.

When Jesse saw Angie waiting outside the bus with folded arms and a concerned expression, his face fell. “Ang? Everythin’ okay?”

“Why haven’t you been answering your phone?” Angie demanded.

Whoops. “Uh, it was off. What’s wrong?”

“It’s Hanzo.”

Jesse’s pulse sped up. “What happened? Is he okay?”

“I don’t know.” Angela wrung her hands worriedly. “He’s holed himself up in the bathroom and he won’t come out. It’s been almost an hour. I think…” She hesitated for a second, then pressed on. “I think he’s having some sort of meltdown. I’m pretty sure I heard him crying, Jess.”

“Oh, hell… Did he say anythin’ to you?”

“No, not since he first got on today. He wouldn’t let me in or talk to me through the door.” Angela’s hands were starting to turn red from her wringing. Jesse quickly reached out and took her hands in his to stop her from rubbing them raw. She gave him a little smile of gratitude and squeezed his hands instead. “He looked exhausted and upset all morning, though.”

“Gotcha.” Jesse ignored the pain of Angie’s vicelike grip on his hands and squeezed hers back gently. He was worried sick, but with Angie panicking this bad, he could at least try to keep a level head. From the sounds of it, he might need it for Hanzo’s sake, too. “I’ll go see if I can’t get ‘im to talk to me.”

“Okay. Good.” Angie nodded and released Jesse’s hands. He rubbed at them surreptitiously to soothe the marks left by her grip. “If I haven’t heard from you by quarter till, I’ll bring some food back for you to eat on the bus, okay?”

“Sounds good. Thanks, Ang.” Jesse gave Angie a quick hug, then squared his shoulders and boarded the southbound bus.

Torbjörn was still in the driver’s seat, eating something smelly. “Howdy, Torby,” Jesse said, trying not to let his nose wrinkle visibly. “How’s about you go have lunch with Reinhardt? I’ll watch the bus for ya.”

Torbjörn squinted at him suspiciously. “Fine, but don’t go breakin’ anything, lad. Not sure how much I trust you unsupervised.”

Jesse rolled his eyes, but just said, “You got it, Torby.” With a grunt Torbjörn hopped down from the driver’s seat and trundled off the bus.

Jesse shut the door behind Torbjörn and dropped his things in his usual seat before walking down the aisle the mobile lavatory. The small OCCUPIED sign was lit, and Jesse thought he could maybe hear some muffled noises from inside. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and knocked.

“Hanzo? You in there? It’s Jesse,” he called loudly, to make sure he could be heard through the door. “Are you -- ”

The door swung open. A hand shot out and grabbed Jesse’s arm, pulling him inside so quickly that his hat flew back off his head and was left outside when the door slammed shut behind him.

Jesse knew from years of personal experience that the bus bathrooms were criminally tiny, and that was just when he’d been in them by himself. Now, standing in the cramped space with Hanzo, he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

He looked down and saw Hanzo’s face -- red, puffy eyes, tear tracks down his cheeks, absolute devastation in his expression -- and Jesse’s heart broke. “Hey, darlin’,” he said softly, attempting a smile.

“Jesse,” Hanzo said, trying to force a smile in return and ending up with a grimace. “I’m glad to see that you’re well again.” His voice broke halfway through as fresh tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Oh, honey...” Jesse wrapped his arms around Hanzo’s shoulders. Hanzo immediately slipped his arms around Jesse’s waist and buried a quiet sob in his chest. “Hey now, it’s okay,” Jesse murmured, trying to keep his voice calm and soothing. “Whatsa matter, sweetheart?”

“Mm mmphmr.” Hanzo paused and shifted his head to the side a bit. “My brother. He has -- ” Hanzo hiccuped. “ -- gotten worse. He was supposed to get better, but he got worse.” His entire body shook, and when he pressed his face back into Jesse’s shoulder, Jesse could feel tears soaking through his shirt.

Jesse thought he might cry himself. “I’m… I’m so sorry, Hanzo.” He rubbed a hand down and up Hanzo’s back soothingly. “It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay.”

“This is my fault. It’s all my fault.”

“It ain’t,” Jesse offered, and though he didn’t know enough about the situation to know whether or not that was true, he tried to sound confident, for Hanzo.

“It is. It’s my fault he’s dying.” Hanzo pulled his head back to fix Jesse with a fierce stare through the tears still falling from his eyes. “If he dies, I killed my fucking brother.”

Jesse gaped at him, completely at a loss for what to say, until Hanzo leaned back into his chest and tightened his grip around his waist, muffling his sobs in Jesse’s shirt. Jesse resumed rubbing Hanzo’s back and kept mumbling quiet reassurances that it would be okay.

After a few minutes, Hanzo’s sobs began to subside, and he took several deep, even breaths. Eventually, he pulled back a little, but he kept his arms around Jesse’s waist. He offered Jesse a wavering smile. “I’m sorry.”

Jesse shook his head quickly. “Don’t be. Y’ain’t got nothin’ to be sorry for.”

“I broke your rule. No crying on the bus.”

Jesse withdrew one arm from around Hanzo to brush away a lingering tear. “Naw, I said no _loud_ cryin’, remember? You weren’t so loud,” he murmured, cupping Hanzo’s cheek in his palm and stroking his thumb back and forth soothingly.

Hanzo tilted his head into Jesse’s touch and managed half a laugh that only sorta sounded like another sob. “I was a little bit loud.”

Jesse chuckled a little at that. “Well, I guess I can give you a free pass this time, just ‘cause I like you so much.”

Hanzo’s smile became a little more genuine. “I appreciate it.”

Jesse smiled back. “Listen, I know this all is real personal and sensitive and whatnot,” he said gently, sliding his hand back down to Hanzo’s shoulder. “But if you wanna talk about it, I'm here for you.”

Hanzo shook his head jerkily. “I don't want to burden you. You have no obligation to me.”

Jesse huffed. “It ain't about obligation, sweetheart. It's…” He scratched his beard, a little embarrassed. “I, y’know, care about you, right? You're not imposin’ on me or anything. I’m askin’ you: Do you want to talk about it?”

Hanzo grimaced, shifted back and forth on his feet, did that thing where one of his eyes squinted more than the other. Eventually he sighed and withdrew his arms from around Jesse, and Jesse released him to give him as much space as he could in the tiny bathroom. “I...suppose that might be good,” Hanzo mumbled, rubbing his face with both hands.

“Yeah, I think it might be,” Jesse said encouragingly. “And if it’s not, or it’s too much for you or anythin’, you just say so.”

“Okay.” Hanzo took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his hands still on his face. When he dropped them his eyes were still wet and his face was still red, but he looked at least a little bit calmer, maybe.

“Oh, and I got Torby off the bus, so we got it to ourselves for the next…” Jesse tried to maneuver his arm so he could see his watch without punching Hanzo in the face. “Hmm, ‘bout half hour? So we can head out there to talk. Unless you'd rather, y’know, stay in here.” Jesse was starting to feel a little too cramped in the small space, but he could stick it out if that was what Hanzo wanted.

Thankfully, Hanzo shook his head. “Out there will be better. You can go ahead; I'll be out in just a moment.”

“Alrighty.” Jesse went to open the door, but Hanzo grabbed his hand.

“Thank you, Jesse,” Hanzo said softly.

Jesse smiled at Hanzo and gave his hand a squeeze. “Of course, darlin’.”

He let himself out and closed the door gently behind himself, stooping to pick up his fallen hat before heading to the row Hanzo always sat in and settling in to wait for Hanzo.

A few minutes later Jesse heard the click of the bathroom door and the soft tap of footsteps. He stood quickly and moved into the aisle to let Hanzo pass him and take the window seat.

Once they were both sitting, Hanzo reached over and took Jesse's prosthetic hand, sliding his fingers in between Jesse's metal ones. Jesse coughed awkwardly. “Y’don’t have to do that, I can just…” He started to switch hands, but Hanzo pulled the hand already in his grasp into his lap possessively, and Jesse chuckled.

They sat in silence for several long seconds, Jesse watching Hanzo, Hanzo absently running his fingers up and down Jesse's arm. He already looked much better than he had ten minutes ago, but still more exhausted and defeated than Jesse had ever seen him.

Finally Hanzo broke the silence. “I told you I was yakuza.”

“Yeah, you did,” Jesse confirmed, unsure how much Hanzo was going to want his participation.

“I did not tell you why I left.”

Jesse shook his head.

“Genji left first. A few years ago. He was unhappy with that life. When he left, he asked me to come with him. I refused.”

Hanzo took a deep breath. “I should have gone with him then, but I was a coward. I didn’t wait to dishonor our father or fail to fulfill what was expected of me. The expectations were always higher for me than they were for Genji. I convinced myself that I was doing the right thing, that staying would be the best way to protect both of us. But...”

As Hanzo went on to explain what happened in the years between Genji’s desertion and his own, Jesse felt a painful amount of empathy. He knew what it meant to be mixed up in something bad with no way out, but the way Hanzo described his situation sounded...a lot worse.

“Eventually, I followed Genji,” Hanzo continued. “Took what I could and came to find him. We rented an apartment together. I found work that I love and excel at. I was amazed how quickly I was able to make a good life here. It was several months before the yakuza found me. Since then, they have been attempting to convince, bribe, or threaten me into coming back. I did not tell Genji. I didn’t want to involve him.

Hanzo swallowed, and though Jesse couldn't feel it, he could see Hanzo’s grip on his hand tighten. “But the last time I was approached… Genji was there. He was coming to meet me at my office for lunch. If he’d been five minutes later, I could have taken care of the situation before he arrived. But he walked in just in time to see a gun pointed at me.

“Genji… Foolish, brave Genji. He thought he could protect me.” Hanzo huffed. “And then he was thrown through a window.”

 _Jesus._ Jesse gave Hanzo's hand a comforting squeeze. Hanzo gave him a tiny grateful smile in return before he continued.

“He sustained serious lacerations across his entire body, as well as multiple broken bones and fractures. He has been comatose for nearly two months now, with his condition remaining relatively stable throughout that time. But then...” Hanzo looked sick, but he pressed on. “Last week his doctors asked for my permission to use an experimental procedure on him. They told me there was an eighty percent chance it would make things better, a ten percent chance it would have no effect, and a ten percent chance it would make things worse.”

Hanzo looked like he was about to start crying again. “It made things worse. His chances of recovering were practically cut in half overnight. He could die, Jesse, and it would be my fault. Not only for letting him get caught in the middle of my issues with the yakuza, but also for approving an operation that turned out to be shit. It’s my fault.”

Jesse had been quiet until this point, but he couldn’t let Hanzo blame himself for doing what he thought was best. “It’s not your fault,” he started, but Hanzo shook his head fiercely.

“Don’t say that. I will not believe you.”

Though he was aching to try and comfort Hanzo and convince him he wasn’t to blame, Jesse held his tongue. It wasn’t his place, if it wasn’t what Hanzo wanted from him. Jesse sighed. “Hanzo,” he said quietly. Hanzo’s eyes, wet with tears, stayed fixed on their joined hands in his lap. Jesse tried again. “Hanzo, darlin’, can you look at me for a sec?”

After a few seconds, Hanzo looked up and met Jesse’s eyes. He was back to looking absolutely devastated, and Jesse cursed himself for letting that happen. “I won’t try and convince you of anythin’, okay? I just wanna say…” Jesse took a deep breath. “I know I don’t know everythin’, but from what I can tell, you’re a damn good brother and a good person, too. I think you’re doin’ your best and I don’t think you deserve the hard time you’re givin’ yourself.”

Hanzo looked even closer to crying than he did before. Shit. “Anyway,” Jesse said, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, “you’re welcome to disagree. That’s just what I think.”

Tears began to fall from Hanzo’s eyes again, and Jesse began to panic. “Shit, I’m so sorry,” he mumbled, covering his face with his hand. “I didn’t mean to make you more upset.”

He was surprised to feel gentle fingers pry his hand away from his face. “You didn’t,” Hanzo murmured. He gave Jesse a little sad smile and squeezed his fingers. “There is nothing you could say to make things better, but what you said was very kind. Thank you, Jesse.”

Jesse still wasn’t sure whether he’d been helpful or not, but he managed a smile. “Well, you’re welcome, I guess.”

They sat in half-sad, half-comfortable silence until Jesse looked at his watch and whistled. “Almost time for the bus to get going. Angie said she’d bring me some food, so I gotta go grab it from her. And I should probably go open up the bus again so people can get on it, huh?”

“Probably,” Hanzo agreed. He released Jesse’s hand and wiped the tears from his cheeks. “I will compose myself before the other passengers board.”

“You already look gorgeous, sweetheart,” Jesse assured him immediately, making him smile a little bit.

Jesse stood and started to move into the aisle, but Hanzo reached for his hand again, and he turned back questioningly. “Sit with me,” Hanzo said. “Please.”

Jesse smiled down at Hanzo. “Sure thing, darlin’,” he promised. Not letting himself think about it too much, he leaned over and pressed a little kiss to Hanzo’s temple, then hurried out and off the bus.

Angie was waiting outside, a heavy-looking Taco Bell bag in her hands. “How is he?” she asked anxiously.

Jesse shrugged. “He’s had better days, but he’s gonna be okay, I think. Thanks for sendin’ me in. I...think I helped?” he said uncertainly, rubbing his neck.

Angela smiled a little. “I’m sure you did great. Here.” She held out the bag.

“Thanks a bunch, Ang.” Jesse took the bag with one hand and fumbled for his wallet with the other. Angie scowled and swatted his hand away from his pocket.

“Don’t even think about it.”

Jesse grinned and pulled Angie into a hug instead. “You’re a doll.”

She hugged him back. “I know.”

When Jesse got back on the bus, the other passengers had already boarded, and Reinhardt was making the necessary adjustments to the driver’s seat. “Hey, I’m gonna go back and sit with Hanzo for the drive, if y’don’t mind coverin’ for me,” Jesse said to Reinhardt as he grabbed his stuff from where he’d dropped it at the beginning of the lunch hour.

“Not at all!” Reinhardt said jovially, cranking the driver’s seat back two full feet from where it’d been positioned for Torbjörn. Jesse patted him on the shoulder and headed back to Hanzo, greeting the other passengers as he went.

Jesse slid back into the seat next to Hanzo and dropped his backpack at his feet. Hanzo did look more composed than he had before, if not exactly happy, but he smiled when Jesse sat down beside him. “Taco Bell from Angela?”

“Yup,” Jesse replied, feeling cheerier now that he had food in his lap and Hanzo was looking less broken. “Let’s see what we got here.”

Jesse rummaged around in the bag and let out a little whine. “Aw, no nachos.”

“They would probably be too messy to eat on the bus,” Hanzo pointed out. “Smart thinking on Angela’s part.”

“I guess,” Jesse sighed. He picked the bag up again and offered the open end to Hanzo. “You want some? I don’t mind sharin’.”

Hanzo shook his head. “I don’t know that I could stomach anything right now. But thank you for the offer. You are very sweet.”

Jesse flushed a little at that. “Naw,” he mumbled, and focused his attention on deciding what to eat first.

As the bus started moving and Jesse munched into the quesadilla Angie’d bought him in lieu of nachos, he glanced over at Hanzo. Hanzo was leaning back a little in his seat, his eyes closed. Jesse wondered if he could fall asleep like that, mostly sitting up.

Jesse ate his food as quietly as he could so as not to disturb Hanzo or annoy any of the other passengers. When he finished he gathered all his trash into the Taco Bell bag, crumpled it, and shoved it beneath his seat. While he was bent over he pulled his blanket out of his backpack, too, in case it started to get cold.

He sat back up and carefully spread the blanket over himself and Hanzo. Hanzo opened his eyes. “Thank you,” he murmured, scooting closer to Jesse.

“No problem, darlin’,” Jesse said, lifting his arm to settle it comfortably over Hanzo. Hanzo made a little pleased noise and snuggled in even closer, and Jesse smiled happily. Goddamn was he in deep. “Oh, by the way, about Friday…”

Hanzo interrupted him with a groan. “Oh, no. I forgot.”

Jesse’s heart sank a little. “You forgot about Friday?”

“No, of course not,” Hanzo huffed, scowling indignantly and instantly cheering Jesse. “I forgot about what I accidentally said to you in my last text yesterday, when we were discussing Friday. That was very embarrassing. I’m sorry.”

Jesse laughed, relieved and amused. “You don’t gotta be embarrassed or sorry. S’all good.” Smirking mischievously, he squinted at Hanzo with mock suspicion and added, “Unless...it wasn’t an accident at all, and you said it on purpose just to find out how I’d react if you said it, and then pretended it was an accident! Foiled.”

Hanzo groaned again and buried his face in Jesse’s shoulder, this time with embarrassed exasperation, which Jesse decided was much better than tears and sadness. “No. That would be ridiculous,” he mumbled.

“Thought you liked ridiculous.”

“Only on you.” Hanzo lifted his head from Jesse’s shoulder, hesitated a moment, and quickly kissed Jesse’s cheek before dropping his face back into Jesse’s shirt. Jesse’s face turned bright red, and he grinned goofily. Even with Hanzo hiding his face, a little bit of pinkness was visible on his cheeks. “Anyway. What was it that you wanted to say about Friday?”

“Oh. Right.” Jesse tried to pick up his previous train of thought. “I was just gonna say, you don’t gotta come if you don’t wanna anymore. With everythin’ that’s happening with Genji and whatnot, I’d understand if you got too much goin’ on or aren’t feelin’ up to it or anything.” He’d be disappointed, sure, but he’d live.

Hanzo shook his head against Jesse’s shoulder, messing up his usually neat hair, which was so cute Jesse could just die. “I made a commitment. I intend to keep it. Besides, I could probably use a distraction from...all of that.”

Jesse felt a little relieved, but before he could say anything else Hanzo continued. “And...I very much want to go.”

Jesse beamed. “Yeah?”

“Yes.”

“Swell.” Jesse was going to make sure Hanzo had so much fun that he didn’t even have time to be sad about Genji. “I should probably get your number then, huh?”

“Probably. I would like to have yours as well.”

They exchanged phones. Jesse put his name and number as a new contact in Hanzo’s phone, then, after a second of deliberation, deleted his last name and put a heart instead. He smirked when he gave Hanzo’s phone back, and Hanzo eyed him warily.

“What is it?”

“Nothin’.”

Hanzo huffed, but didn’t push. He covered a yawn with his hand.

“You wanna talk anymore, or just sleep?”

Hanzo hummed. “I should probably try and sleep. But I do think the talking helped. Thank you again.”

“Anytime,” Jesse said, smiling happily as Hanzo nuzzled back into him.

 

***

 

Jesse woke to a loud buzzing next to his head, and he groaned. Didn’t everyone know not to bug him before ten on his days off? He pulled his pillow over his head.

There was another buzz. He groaned even louder, but fumbled for his phone where it was sitting next to him on his bed. He rubbed at his eyes and groggily read the notifications on his lockscreen.

He had two new texts from Hanzo.

Jesse sat up quickly -- too quickly, he realized when his head spun -- and rubbed his face some more until he was awake enough to read the texts.

FROM: HANZO SHIMADA  
_Happy birthday, Jesse_.

FROM: HANZO SHIMADA  
_Or should I say, Jesse <3_

Jesse grinned, no longer bothered by being woken at… He checked the clock. 9:08. That was nearly ten, anyway.

TO: HANZO SHIMADA  
_Thanks!!!!! :-))) lol u can change that if u want to_

FROM: HANZO SHIMADA  
_I don’t want to._

FROM: HANZO SHIMADA  
_Are you busy now?_

If it were anyone else asking that at 9:09 AM, well, Jesse probably wouldn’t be bothering to reply to them. But it was Hanzo.

TO: HANZO SHIMADA  
_Nope why?_

INCOMING CALL FROM: HANZO SHIMADA

Jesse’s eyes widened, and he panicked for a second. He needed to brush his teeth, and his hair, and put on some clothes -- Wait, no he didn’t. He could be as stinky and naked as could be and Hanzo would have no idea.

Swallowing his nerves, he answered the call. “Howdy.” Okay, fuck, he should’ve at least cleared his throat or something. He did so now. “Howdy,” he repeated, somewhat less scratchy and weird-sounding this time.

On the other end of the line, Hanzo chuckled. “Good morning, Jesse.”

Jesse beamed at the sound of Hanzo’s voice. “What, you ain’t gonna greet me by singin’ happy birthday to me?”

Hanzo scoffed. “No.”

“Suit yourself.” Jesse leaned back against the wall at the side of his bed, stretching and yawning, apparently a little too loudly.

“Did I wake you?”

“Naw. Well, yeah. S’okay, though. How you doin’, baby?”

“I’m well, thank you. How are you?”

“M’good. Real nice surprise, wakin’ up to hear your pretty voice first thing. Wish I could see your pretty face, too.”

There was a pause. “We could switch to a video call if you’d like.”

Jesse almost considered it, then remembered how he looked at the moment. “No! I mean, nah. This is plenty good.” He ran a hand through his hair, absently attempting to work out some of the tangles. “Hey, how’s Genji?”

Hanzo paused, and Jesse got very, very nervous, but after a few seconds Hanzo answered. “He has improved since Tuesday. His doctors were able to stabilize him and reverse the negative effects of their operation. They believe it will have the intended result after all.”

“Oh, thank god,” Jesse said, sighing with relief. “I’m so glad to hear that, Hanzo.”

“Yes. I am...cautiously optimistic.”

“Good, good.” When Hanzo didn’t say anything else, Jesse changed the subject to something a little lighter. “So, we still on for tomorrow night?”

“Of course. What time?”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess I didn’t tell you many details, huh?”

“Not really.”

“And you said yes anyway. Your mistake,” Jesse joked.

Hanzo hummed. “I am confident in my choice.”

Jesse tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. “Well, if you wanna send me your address, I can pick you up ‘round eight, if that suits you.”

“Sure. Where are we going?”

“Bar called Watchpoint. You ever been there?”

“I have not.”

“Great place. Great vibe. I told you we go there every Friday night, right? S’always me, Reinhardt, Fareeha, Ana, Jack, and Gabe, but Angie and Torbjörn’ll be there too this week, and probably some other folks from Overwatch you don’t know yet.”

“That sounds like...a lot of people.”

Jesse chuckled. “Yeah, but they’re great. They’ll love you. All you gotta do is be nice to ‘em, maybe sing some karaoke.”

“Karaoke?” Hanzo’s voice went up in pitch with alarm.

Jesse scratched his beard. “Uh, yeah, did I not tell you that part? Friday is karaoke night. We, uh, all do karaoke. You don’t gotta if you don’t want, though,” he added quickly.

Hanzo said nothing. Jesse laughed nervously. “Did I scare ya away from wantin’ to come after all?”

Hanzo finally sighed. “Almost, but no. You are lucky I like you so much.”

“God, I know,” Jesse agreed wholeheartedly.

Hanzo laughed softly. “It’s been very nice to talk to you, but I need to get back to work. My break is over.”

Jesse frowned. “Your break? Ain’t you self-employed?”

“Yes.”

“If you’re your own boss, don’t you, like...get to pick when you have breaks?”

“Well, yes. But I have a schedule. It’s best for my productivity if I follow it.”

“Hm. Fair enough. Right, then, I’ll let you go. Really lookin’ forward to tomorrow, Hanzo.”

“As am I. Happy birthday once again.”

“Thank you kindly, darlin’. See you tomorrow." 

“Goodbye, Jesse.” Hanzo hung up.

Jesse threw himself onto his back on his bed and sighed contentedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tons of thanks to my usual beta [brenna](http://butchlesbiankillian.tumblr.com) for making this chapter better as always!! and a big thanks also to my buddy [paige](http://patchworkroyalty.tumblr.com) for being my backup beta and checking this over too!!
> 
> next chapter is the one we've all been waiting for (myself included) so stay tuned! thank you so much for reading and commenting!!
> 
> tumblr: [@sodawife](http://sodawife.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [@GENJAMlN](http://twitter.com/GENJAMlN)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing this chapter was the cause of my death rip  
> i had lots of help/input from lots of people for this chapter! credits and links in the end notes!!  
> (hover over the spanish for translations!)

FROM: JESSE <3  
_Hey hanzo!! I’m about to leave to pick u up so i’ll be there in like 15ish mins ok? :-)_

TO: JESSE <3  
_Perfect. See you soon._

It was _not_ perfect. Hanzo was in the middle of a crisis.

He had spent an hour the previous evening deciding what to wear, only to realize once he'd put it on twenty minutes ago that he had made a huge mistake. The shirt he'd chosen, his favorite shirt, covered his arms entirely, which was unacceptable -- _You got rockin’ arms, darlin’_ , Jesse had told him -- and it looked like shit with the sleeves rolled up. He couldn't believe his lapse in judgment.

Now Hanzo stood half-naked and fully panicking in his bedroom, having re-tried and re-rejected all of his nice shirts already. With such a time constraint, there was only one thing he could do: He had to call for backup.

TO: AMÉLIE GUILLARD  
_Please come to my apt. ASAP if you are available. F. emerg._

Hopefully Amélie would be available as quickly as she usually was, because Jesse would arrive in just ten minutes. Hanzo threw his phone onto his bed, where it instantly disappeared in a heap of discarded clothes.

He pawed through the pile listlessly for several minutes, his nerves and frustration growing worse by the second. Where the hell was Amélie?

When he was nearly desperate enough to go to Genji’s room -- closed since he’d been in the hospital -- and look for something to borrow, there was a knock on the front door. “Finally,” Hanzo growled, practically running to get the door.

“Amélie, you have a key for a reason -- ” he started to snap as he yanked open the door, only to see not Amélie, but Jesse.

“You’re early,” Hanzo said in surprise.

Jesse didn’t respond. His jaw had fallen open farther than Hanzo would have thought humanly possible, and his eyes were fixed several inches below Hanzo’s face. “Sweet mother of God,” Jesse whispered, his voice almost reverent.

Hanzo flushed as he realized he was still topless. “My apologies, but I’m not quite ready,” he said, bravely trying to sound as casual as possible. “I have encountered...a dilemma. Please, come in.” He stepped aside to let Jesse into his apartment.

But Jesse didn’t move, just stood there gaping. Hanzo shifted uncomfortably until a familiar voice rang through the hallway. “Hanzo!”

Amélie almost collided with Jesse, but swerved at the last second and slipped past him into the apartment. Her long dyed-blue hair narrowly avoided hitting him in the face. “Hanzo. What’s happened? Who’s this?” She narrowed her eyes at Jesse.

“Amélie, this is Jesse McCree. Jesse, my assistant, Amélie Guillard. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable. Amélie, with me.” Hanzo took Amélie by the wrist and all but dragged her back to his room, leaving Jesse to fend for himself.

Once he’d shut the door behind them, Amélie’s eyes darted between him and the mess on his bed, looking distressed. “What’s going on? Is Genji okay?”

Hanzo frowned. “As far as I know, yes.”

“You said there was a family emergency,” Amélie pressed.

Hanzo’s stomach sank and his face heated as he realized his mistake. “Actually...” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “It’s a fashion emergency.”

Amélie just stared at him. After a minute she dropped her face in her hands and let out a string of what were probably French curse words. Eventually she looked back up at him, her brows knit together. “Really? A _fashion_ emergency? You really thought you could just put an _F_ and I’d know you meant _fashion_? Genji is in the hospital! I thought he was _dying_!”

“I’m very sorry, Amélie,” Hanzo said, face still hot with embarrassment and guilt for worrying Amélie. “You can leave if you need to.”

She sighed heavily. “I’m already here, am I not? What did you want my help with?”

“I...have a date,” he admitted, feeling very silly in the face of what Amélie had thought to be going on. "And I don't know what to wear. I would normally ask Genji, but..." He shrugged helplessly.

Amélie's brow furrowed. “A date?”

“Yes.”

“With that man out there?”

“Yes. I’ve mentioned him to you, I think. Jesse McCree, from the bus.”

Amélie smirked, her anger overshadowed by the opportunity to tease Hanzo. “Ah, how sweet. You should have told me, bichette,” she cooed.

“Don’t call me that,” Hanzo grumbled, though there was no bite to it. “Can you help me or not?”

“Of course I can.” Amélie’s demeanor immediately became businesslike. Her control over her emotions was astounding. “Where are you going for your date?”

“A bar. Watchpoint, I believe. We are going to celebrate Jesse’s birthday with his coworkers.” 

“Hm.” Amélie made her way over to the pile of shirts on his bed, kicking at the ones that had fallen to the floor. “These are all too formal for Watchpoint.”

“You are familiar with it?”

“I would sooner say _acquainted_ with it. Genji and I went once. It was...not to our taste.” She folded her arms and looked at the pile with a raised eyebrow. “What else do you have?”

“These are all my nice shirts.”

“Too nice. Where are your T-shirts?”

“T-shirts? I’m going on a date, Amélie. His _coworkers_ will be there.”

Amélie rolled her eyes. “You are going to a birthday party at a bar. T-shirts, please.”

Sighing with defeat, Hanzo directed her to the drawer in his dresser that held the most casual shirts he owned, and she began to riffle through it. “Do you happen to know what Mister McCree likes about you?”

Hanzo considered. “My personality, I think.”

Amélie paused in her search to give him an exasperated look. “God bless him, but I meant physically.”

“Oh. He likes my arms, and my tattoo.” After a moment’s hesitation he blushed and added, “And my chest, it would seem.”

Amélie nodded and returned to her digging, eventually pulling out a shirt Hanzo hadn’t worn -- hadn’t touched -- in years. “Put this on.”

“ _This_ one?”

“Yes. On.”

With a bit of effort, Hanzo pulled the shirt on over his head. It was far too small. He was about to wrestle it back off when Amélie said, “That will do.”

“Are you joking? It doesn’t fit at all.”

“Fitting isn’t the point, bichette. Look.” She took him by the shoulders and spun him so he was facing the full-length mirror on the wall. The shirt was tight, and the short sleeves, V-neck, and thin blue fabric left very little to the imagination.

“See? Short sleeves show the tattoo. Tight fit shows the muscles. V-neck shows the cleavage.”

“ _Amélie_ ,” he said, scandalized, but she just shrugged.

“Trust me; he will like it. If you'd informed me of your date sooner,” she said with a pointed glare, “I could have helped you more, but under the circumstances this will have to suffice.” She shut the shirt drawer and yanked open the one beneath it. She pulled out a pair of jeans and shoved them into his arms. “Pants. Change your shoes; fix your hair. I will keep Mister McCree company.”

“Thank you, Amélie,” Hanzo said, clutching the jeans to his chest, but she was already walking out.

After making the demanded adjustments, Hanzo glanced in the mirror one last time. He felt ridiculous in the tight, casual clothes, but he had to admit that the outfit Amélie had chosen did indeed show off his best features to his advantage. She was right; it would do.

When Hanzo reentered the living room Jesse sprang up from where he’d been sitting on the couch. Amélie remained seated in Hanzo’s leather armchair, looking bored and unimpressed.

“Hello, Jesse. Amélie. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

“Hi,” Jesse said breathlessly, his eyes raking over Hanzo.

Hanzo took the opportunity to do the same to Jesse. It was the first time he’d seen Jesse out of his Overwatch uniform and without his hat. He looked casually gorgeous in a flannel button-down and loose-fitting jeans, and Hanzo was struck by the strong urge to run back to his room and change again into something less contrived.

But then Jesse smiled and ran a hand through his loose hair, and Hanzo found himself moving towards him instead of away. “Jesse,” he said again, more softly than he meant to. 

Jesse opened his mouth, but before he could speak Amélie cleared her throat delicately, drawing both of their attention. She uncrossed her long legs and stood. “As enjoyable as this is for me, I must be going.”

“Er, d’you wanna come with us?” Jesse offered awkwardly.

“Thank you, but no. I must get back to my date and try and explain why I left in the middle of dinner for a _fashion emergency_ ,” she said, glaring accusingly at Hanzo.

Out of the corner of his eye Hanzo could see Jesse’s eyes widen with glee. Hanzo tried to remain composed. “Of course. Please give your date my apologies. Thank you, Amélie.”

Amélie nodded. “Hanzo. Mister McCree.”

“See ya,” Jesse said, and Amélie let herself out and shut the door behind her.

When they were alone Jesse turned to Hanzo with a huge grin. Hanzo refused to meet his eyes, instead studying the wall. “So, fashion emergency, huh?” Jesse prodded.

Hanzo folded his arms firmly across his abdomen, telling himself he wasn't doing it on purpose to showcase his chest or arms. He was, though. “I required a small amount of Amélie’s assistance.”

“Well, it paid off,” Jesse assured him, eyeing his arms appreciatively. “You look smokin’, darlin’.”

Hanzo smiled at him, pleased. “Thank you. You look very handsome.”

Jesse's face reddened at that, and he rubbed his neck. “Aw, shucks, Hanzo, that's real sweet.”

“It's true,” Hanzo insisted, and Jesse's blush deepened adorably. Chuckling, Hanzo stepped around Jesse and reached for the door. “Shall we?”

He was surprised when Jesse’s metal hand covered his on the doorknob, stilling it before he could turn. “Hold on a sec, darlin’.” Hanzo turned back questioningly, and Jesse was right there, almost chest to chest with him.

The unexpected closeness took Hanzo’s breath away. “What is it?”

Jesse smiled, bringing his other hand up to brush against Hanzo’s jaw. “Reckon I oughta give you a proper hello,” he said, and wrapped his arms tightly around Hanzo.

Hanzo chuckled and brought his arms up to circle Jesse’s waist, hugging him back. He breathed in the sweet, smoky scent of Jesse and murmured, “It’s nice doing this when I’m not crying.”

Jesse laughed, and Hanzo could feel it from where his head laid against Jesse’s chest. “Sure is.”

Several long seconds later they drew apart reluctantly, but Jesse caught Hanzo’s hand and laced their fingers together with a grin. “Alright, now we can go."

They walked hand in hand to the guest parking lot of Hanzo’s apartment complex, and Jesse led Hanzo to a small, somewhat beat-up car. Hanzo rolled his eyes but smiled when Jesse hurried to get the door for him.

Country music played quietly on the radio as they drove to the bar and made small talk about their days. Hanzo couldn’t focus; he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so nervous. Probably the last time he’d gone on a date. He couldn’t remember when that was, either.

“What should I expect tonight?” Hanzo blurted.

Jesse looked startled. Hanzo realized he had probably rudely interrupted him, but Jesse shook it off and just asked, “Whaddya mean?”

“I mean…” Hanzo went to fidget with the cuffs of his sleeves, only to remember that he was wearing short sleeves. He mentally cursed Amélie, but settled for tugging on the tips of his fingers. “What are your coworkers like? I know very little about those I haven’t yet met. I…” He bit his lip and scrunched his nose, embarrassed. “I want them to like me.”

“They will,” Jesse assured him. “But if it’ll make you feel better, I can tell you some more about ‘em.”

“It would. Please." 

“Alright.” Jesse scratched his beard thoughtfully. “Well, you already know a lot of ‘em. The other attendants are Angie and Fareeha -- both o’ them love you, by the way, so you don’t gotta worry about that at all -- and then Mei, who’s the other north attendant. Real sweet girl. Bigass nerd. Ask her some science-y question and she’ll be sold on you.”

Hanzo nodded, taking mental note of that advice. “Okay. Who else?”

“You know Reinhardt and Torbjörn already too. Reinhardt loves everyone, no problems there. Torby’s kinda a weird one. He doesn’t like me,” Jesse admitted, giving Hanzo an exaggerated pout, “so I can’t really help you with that. Other north driver’s Mako, but everyone calls him Roadhog.”

“Why?” Hanzo asked curiously.

Jesse gave him a sidelong look. “You’ll find out if you’re ever on the bus while he’s drivin’.”

Hanzo decided he hoped he never found out.

“And then we got the bosses: Ana, Jack, and Gabe. Y’know, the three we played FMK with at Taco Bell?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Gabe’s kind of an intimidating dude, but he’s a big softie at heart. He’s the one who recruited me to Overwatch. He found me when I was, y’know. In a bad place.” Jesse wiggled his prosthetic arm meaningfully. “Helped me get my life on track. I owe a lot to him. He’s married to Jack. The one we both said we’d kill,” Jesse added with a guilty chuckle. “Great guy, though. Kinda like a scary boy scout. And Ana is just the coolest. You ask me who I wanna be like when I grow up, I say Ana fuckin’ Amari. You’ll see what I mean,” Jesse finished, his voice laden with admiration.

Hanzo nodded slowly, deep in thought. The bosses certainly seemed like the most important people to impress, but also the most difficult. From the way Jesse spoke about them, it almost sounded as though Hanzo were about to meet Jesse’s parents. His fingertip-tugging intensified.

“Thank you for the information,” he said, as calmly as he could. “I will do my best.”

Jesse looked over at him with wide eyes. “Sweetheart, you don’t gotta _do_ anything,” he said, smiling fondly and reaching over to squeeze Hanzo’s hand. “I just wanted you to be there with me tonight, that’s all. Don’t worry too much about anythin’ else, okay?”

“Okay,” Hanzo agreed with a nervous smile. He squeezed Jesse’s hand in return, then pulled it up to put it back on the steering wheel, and Jesse laughed.

Soon they pulled up in front of a large neon sign reading _WATCHPOINT_ , and Jesse put the car in park. He looked over at Hanzo with an excited grin, which Hanzo tried to return. “Ready, darlin’?” Hanzo nodded. Jesse leaned over to kiss Hanzo on the cheek. “Alright, then let’s go.”

Jesse led Hanzo by the hand into the bar. It was a bit on the dingy side, which explained why it hadn't been to Genji and Amélie's taste -- they both liked their bars like they liked their men, which was to say, expensive and covered in glitter -- but it had a relaxed, casually-classy vibe that put Hanzo a little more at ease.

He let Jesse lead him in a zigzagging course around tables and tipsy patrons towards a large semi-circular booth in the back. As they got closer Hanzo was relieved to see that Fareeha and Reinhardt were already there; the third person in the booth he recognized from the photo Jesse had shown him. She must be Ana.

“Howdy, everyone,” Jesse said when they reached the little group. He let Hanzo into the booth first and slid in after, so Hanzo ended up sandwiched between Jesse and Fareeha. When Jesse didn’t let go of his hand, Hanzo felt a bit of warmth climbing to his cheeks, but instead of letting go himself he gripped Jesse’s hand a little tighter.

“Jesse! Happy birthday! And Hanzo! So glad you could make it!” Reinhardt bellowed.

Fareeha, who had been covering her ears through Reinhardt’s greeting, removed her hands and grinned at them. “Hey, guys.”

“Hello, Jesse,” said the woman between Reinhardt and Fareeha. “Who is your friend?”

“Ana, this is Hanzo Shimada. My date,” Jesse said, sounding very proud. “Hanzo, this is Ana Amari. Most important person at this table -- ‘sides you, of course,” he added, pulling Hanzo’s hand into his lap to hold it with both of his.

“Boo. Get a room,” Fareeha said, making a face, then grinning at Hanzo, who couldn’t help smirking back. Jesse shushed her loudly.

Ana ignored the interruption. “Pleasure,” she said, fixing Hanzo with an inscrutable gaze as she stirred her tea.

Not to be intimidated, Hanzo inclined his head cordially. “Likewise.”

“Like I told ya, Ana’s one of the founders-slash-owners-slash-managers,” Jesse said. “So are Jack and Gabe, but we all know who the real boss is,” he said with a wink at Ana.

“Tch. No amount of flattery will persuade me to defend you when Gabriel catches you putting your drinks on his tab again.”

“Right you are, ma’am,” Jesse said with a sheepish grin. “Where are those old geezers, anyway?”

“They are...using the facilities,” Ana said diplomatically, but her nose wrinkled. 

“They’re probably boning,” Fareeha added in a loud whisper. Ana said something sharply to her in Arabic, and Fareeha offered an unconvincing, “Sorry, Mom.”

Hanzo frowned. “You are Fareeha’s mother?” he asked Ana, and she nodded. “You don’t look nearly old enough.”

Ana cracked a grin. “Thank you. I do yoga.”

“The hell? How come you aren’t all nice and smiley when _I_ try and give you a compliment?” Jesse said with a pout.

Ana took a sip of her tea. “Hanzo was being sincere.”

“So was I,” Jesse insisted, but Ana just scoffed and waved a hand dismissively.

Jesse grumbled incoherently and turned to Hanzo. “See? Told ya you’d do great,” he said softly, his offended look rapidly brightening into the affectionate smile Hanzo was growing to love.

Fareeha cleared her throat. “By the way, Jess, is Angie coming?” she asked, toying with the napkin dispenser in front of her.

“Yep. Last I heard they were an hour away, and that was…” Jesse lifted his and Hanzo’s joined hands so he could peer at his watch. “‘Bout an hour ago. Why you askin’?”

Fareeha sent Hanzo a furtive look, as though to ask if he’d told Jesse her secret. Hanzo shook his head minutely, and Fareeha looked relieved. “No reason,” she said to Jesse, and directed a little smile at Hanzo.

Hanzo smiled back, grateful he’d made a friend in Fareeha. This night was already going better than he’d hoped.

“Fair enough,” Jesse said, and was distracted from pressing any further when two men slid into the other side of the booth, setting down several drinks.

“Sorry we took so long. Hey there. I’m Jack,” one of them said, reaching across the table to offer his hand to Hanzo.

The positioning was incredibly awkward, but Hanzo managed to return the handshake. “Hanzo.”

“Gabriel,” said the man next to Jack, and Hanzo shook his hand too.

“It is a pleasure to meet you both.”

“Likewise,” Jack said with a nod.

Fareeha nudged Hanzo. “They were totally boning,” she whispered, and Hanzo stifled a snicker. Jack’s hair was conspicuously messy, and though Gabriel had the hood of his jacket pulled up, he certainly had the look of someone who had just been fucked.

Gabriel pulled a thick envelope out of his jacket and tossed it across the table to Jesse. “Feliz cumpleaños, mijo.”

Jesse’s face lit up. “No tenías que hacer esto.”

Gabriel shrugged. “Pero quería hacerlo.”

Jesse disentangled his hands from Hanzo’s so he could open the envelope, and he whistled when he saw its contents. “¿En serio? ¿Por qué?” Hanzo surreptitiously peeked at it as well, catching a glimpse of a sizable stack of twenty-dollar bills just before Jesse closed the envelope again.

Gabriel looked hugely uncomfortable. “Te lo mereces.”

Jesse gave him a huge grin and tucked the envelope into his pocket. “Gracias, jefe.” In response Gabriel just grunted and tugged his hood tighter around his face.

“It’s from both of us,” Jack added, and Gabriel rolled his eyes.

“Of course it’s from both of us. He’s not an idiot.”

“Thanks to you too, Jack,” Jesse said quickly before Jack could retort. Then, under his breath to Hanzo: “Once they start at it they can’t stop till they get a chance to fuck it out. Best to stop ‘em early on, else the bathroom might end up occupied right when you’re ‘bout to piss your pants.”

Hanzo grimaced. “You made a good call, then.” Jesse chuckled and reached for a beer, offering it to Hanzo, but Hanzo shook his head. "It is your birthday party. If you would like to drink you should, and I can drive afterwards."

Jesse beamed and took a hearty swig of the beer he'd grabbed for Hanzo. "You are the best ever," he proclaimed loudly, earning a blush from Hanzo and good-natured eyerolls from the others at the table.

Loud, enthusiastic greetings signaled the arrival of the others. Jesse introduced Hanzo to the huge, quiet man called Roadhog, as well as the exuberant Mei. Reinhardt immediately struck up a conversation with Torbjörn, and after giving Jesse and Hanzo both quick hugs, Angela leaned across the table to talk to Fareeha.

Shortly after the arrival of the north crew, the small stage across the bar opened for karaoke. Mei was the first person from Overwatch to brave the stage; she gave a sweet rendition of “Let It Go” from _Frozen_ , which Hanzo mostly recognized from Genji singing it nonstop for a full three months after the movie’s release. She finished to supportive cheers from the booth, and Hanzo thought he might have seen Jack wiping a tear from his eye at the end.

As Roadhog took the stage to the opening notes of "Rag and Bone" by the White Stripes, Angela nudged Jesse. “Are we going to sing tonight?”

Jesse scoffed. “‘Course we are.”

Angela laughed. “I wasn’t sure if you’d want to with Hanzo here.”

“Gotta impress him somehow,” Jesse said, winking at Hanzo.

Hanzo raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to do karaoke together?”

“Always do,” Jesse said with a grin.

“They’re really good,” said Fareeha, but when Hanzo looked over at her she shook her head and mouthed, _No they’re not_.

“Your pick since it’s your birthday,” Angela told Jesse.

“Hm. Think I’m feelin’ the Spice Girls tonight.”

Fareeha groaned softly, and as Angela and Jesse continued their conversation, Hanzo turned to her questioningly. “What is it?”

She made a face. “Their Spice Girls routine… It’s ridiculous, but they do this dance, and it’s like, weirdly hot,” she told him under her breath. “At least, it is when Angela does it. I think it looks dumb when Jesse does it, but you might like it.”

“I see.” Hanzo was intrigued, to say the least.

“Don’t let me throw myself at her, okay?”

“I will do my best.”

When it was Jesse and Angela’s turn, Jesse kissed Hanzo on the cheek and stood to follow Angela up onto the stage. They each took a microphone and stood with their backs to the bar. Hanzo glanced at Fareeha, but she elbowed him and gestured back to the stage. “Just watch.”

As lyrics appeared on the screen, Jesse and Angela both spun around.

“ _Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want!_ ”

“ _So tell me what you want, what you really, really want!_ ”

Hanzo burst out laughing with surprise. Though Jesse’s voice was nice, the song was well out of his range, and Angela was more than a little pitchy. They compensated with a well-practiced dance routine, circling each other on the stage and wiggling their hips every so often.

It was mostly just entertaining until they reached the bridge. Jesse sang:

“ _So here’s the story from A to Z  
__You wanna get with me, you gotta listen carefully…_ ”

The dancing suddenly became much more suggestive, with shimmying and more exaggerated hip movements. Hanzo’s eyes widened and his face heated as he watched Jesse.

“ _And as for me, ha, you’ll see_  
_Slam your body down and wind it all around  
__Slam your body down and wind it all around…_ ”

Jesse and Angela slapped their thighs and gyrated their hips slowly in time with the music, turning to show off other angles. Face hot, Hanzo averted his eyes, looking instead at Fareeha. She was bright red as well.

She glanced over at him. “I told you,” she said through gritted teeth.

Hanzo folded his arms and looked back to the stage. Jesse and Angela’s dancing had returned to normal, but the temperature of his body had not. “This is not fair,” he muttered.

“You’re telling me. I have to deal with shit like this every time Angela comes to karaoke night. I’m too gay for this,” Fareeha complained. “You know what we should do? We should sing, too. Get back at them.”

Hanzo frowned. “I don’t really see how that would get back at them. Also, there isn’t really anything to get back at them for.”

Fareeha scowled. “Okay, well, it’d be fun.”

“I don’t think it would be.”

“Aw, come on,” she wheedled.

“No, thank you.”

“If you do it I’ll let you pick the song I sing.”

That gave Hanzo pause. That might be too good an opportunity to pass up. He sighed. “Fine. But you have to go first.”

"Deal."

Hanzo applauded loudly as Jesse and Angela finished their performance. He and Fareeha both slipped out of the booth before they could get boxed in again, passing Jesse and Angela on their way to the stage. Fareeha high fived Jesse, and he caught Hanzo’s hand before he could pass. 

“Enjoy the show, darlin’?” Jesse asked, raising his eyebrows innocently. 

Hanzo’s blush returned. “It was entertaining,” he muttered.

Jesse smirked, clearly pleased with himself. “You and Fareeha gonna sing a duet now?”

“No, but I get to choose what song she’s going to sing.”

“Nice. Make it a good one.” With one last squeeze Jesse released Hanzo’s hand.

Hanzo hurried to where Fareeha was waiting next to the karaoke machine.

“You’d still love to do him, huh?” she teased.

Hanzo narrowed his eyes at her. “Do you really want to be saying that when I’m about to pick a song for you to sing?”

“Shit, no, I take it back -- ”

“Too late.” Hanzo selected the song, and as the first sounds of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” began to play, Fareeha groaned loudly and covered her face with her hands.

“Seriously? My _mother_ is here!”

“Have fun,” Hanzo said airily, abandoning Fareeha to her fate and rejoining a laughing Jesse.

To Fareeha’s credit, she went all out. She even imitated some of Jesse and Angela’s Spice Girl moves. Throughout the song, Hanzo snuck glances at an increasingly blushing and wide-eyed Angela.

Hanzo stood to meet Fareeha when she returned. Before he could say anything she shoved a shot glass into his hands. He frowned. “What’s this?”

“Tequila. Figured you might need it.”

Hanzo scowled, but accepted the shot. “Were you watching Angela during your song?”

“Yeah,” Fareeha said, grinning widely. “She looked a little hot and bothered, huh?”

“I would say you got back at her,” Hanzo confirmed, smirking smugly. “You’re welcome.”

Fareeha rolled her eyes. “Don’t pat yourself on the back too much. I still hate you for making me sing the word _sexual_ in front of my mom that many times. You ready for your turn after Reinhardt’s done?”

Hanzo wrinkled his nose. “I suppose. I don’t know what to sing. I only want to sing a song I already know all the words to, and I’m not sure what they have.”

“Oh, they have everything,” Fareeha assured him. “You should sing a country song.”

“Why country?”

“Jesse would love it.”

Hanzo frowned. “I only know the words to one country song.”

“Which song?”

Hanzo glanced around, then leaned closer and whispered it in Fareeha’s ear. “Perfect,” she cackled, and Hanzo threw back his shot.

Fareeha dragged Hanzo up next to the little stage to wait as Reinhardt sang the last strains of Hasselhoff’s “Night Rocker” with tears running down his face. Reinhardt stomped off the stage to wild applause and cheers, largely but not entirely from the Overwatch booth.

“I don’t know how you expect me to follow that,” Hanzo muttered to Fareeha.

“You’ll be fine.” She punched the song into the karaoke machine while maintaining a firm grip on Hanzo’s arm with her other hand, as though afraid he would try and make a run for it. A valid concern.

Hanzo glanced back at the booth. Jesse was slouched in his seat with his arm slung around Angela, laughing at something, but he was looking at Hanzo. When Hanzo caught his eye, Jesse sat up straighter and beamed at him with adoration so pure Hanzo thought he might melt on the spot.

He managed to smile back just before Fareeha pushed him onto the stage and shoved the microphone into his hands. She gave him two thumbs up and disappeared.

Hanzo took a shaky breath. He knew he was an adequate singer, but that didn’t make singing in front of dozens of strangers, several acquaintances, and a man who was possibly the love of his life any easier. He caught Jesse’s eye again, and Jesse gave him a reassuring smile.

The first chords of the song blasted through the bar. Jesse’s eyes widened, his face broke into a huge grin, and he whooped loudly enough for Hanzo to distinguish his name.

Hanzo lifted the microphone, shut his eyes tight, and started to sing.

“ _Life’s like a road that you travel on_  
_When there’s one day here and the next day gone_  
_Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand  
__Sometimes you turn your back to the wind..._ ”

As he sang, Hanzo eventually cracked his eyes open and immediately sought out Jesse. Jesse was standing now, his mouth hanging open, one hand clutched to his chest. Despite his nervousness, Hanzo smiled as he continued into the chorus.

“ _Life is a highway_  
_I wanna ride it all night long_  
_If you're going my way  
__I wanna drive it all night long..._ ”

During the second verse Hanzo could make out catcalls from Fareeha and Angela over booming cries of support from Reinhardt. “Take off your shirt!” Fareeha shouted, and Hanzo laughed through most of the second chorus.

He managed to get it together for the bridge, giving the vocal riff at the end his best effort. As the guitar solo started Hanzo was surprised to see Jesse rushing onto the stage -- he hadn't noticed him approaching. Jesse threw his arms around Hanzo, wrapping him in a tight hug. 

“You're doing so good, baby,” Jesse half mumbled, half laughed in Hanzo’s ear. “God. Didn't know you sang like an angel. You look so good, you sound so good. Goddamn.”

Hanzo laughed, grasping at the front of Jesse's shirt and pulling him down to kiss his cheek. “Would you like to help me finish?”

"It'd be an honor, darlin'," Jesse said with a grin. He pulled back, but kept one arm around Hanzo, his other hand coming up to wrap around Hanzo’s on the microphone. The guitar solo ended, and Hanzo slid an arm around Jesse's waist and leaned into him as they sang together.

“ _Life is a highway_  
_I wanna ride it all night long_  
_If you're going my way  
__I wanna drive it all night long..._ ”

Jesse went off book a bit when they repeated the chorus; Hanzo wasn't sure if his additions were part of the song, or just tipsy ad libbing, but he thought it sounded pretty good.

As the song faded out and was replaced by raucous cheers and catcalls from the Overwatch booth, Jesse took the microphone from Hanzo and put it carefully in its place. Then he took Hanzo’s hand and tugged him off the stage. “C’mon, darlin’,” he said with a grin, and Hanzo followed him without question.

Hanzo was surprised when Jesse led him not back to the booth, but off to the side and into an empty hallway. His pulse quickened with excitement.

Jesse stopped abruptly and turned back to face Hanzo, laughing breathlessly. “God, Hanzo, I wanna kiss you so bad -- ”

Hanzo put one hand on Jesse's chest and the other on his waist, pushing him backwards until his back hit the wall and his eyes widened with surprise. Smirking, Hanzo fisted his hand in Jesse’s shirt and tugged him down until their noses brushed and their lips were just a breath apart. “Then do it,” he challenged quietly, never taking his eyes off Jesse’s.

Jesse smiled, slow and brilliant, and closed the distance.

Hanzo’s eyes fluttered shut at the first touch of Jesse’s lips on his, and he kissed Jesse back soundly. He slid his hand up Jesse’s chest and behind his neck, drawing him even closer. Jesse sighed contentedly and slipped his arms around Hanzo’s waist.

When Hanzo drew back for breath, Jesse chuckled softly. “Best birthday ever,” he mumbled against Hanzo’s lips.

Hanzo smiled and circled both arms around Jesse’s neck, standing on tiptoe and kissing him again with vigor. Jesse tightened his grip around Hanzo and lifted him several inches off the ground.

Instinctively, Hanzo wrapped his legs around Jesse’s waist. Jesse let out a small noise of surprise against Hanzo’s mouth, but recovered quickly; he spun around and suddenly Hanzo was the one being kissed against the wall.

Hanzo hummed with satisfaction and slid a hand up the back of Jesse’s neck and into his hair. With the wall supporting most of Hanzo’s weight, Jesse pulled his hands back and ran them up and down Hanzo’s sides and across his thighs. Hanzo slipped his tongue into Jesse’s mouth. Jesse gripped Hanzo’s legs tighter and slid his tongue slowly against Hanzo’s, and Hanzo twisted his fingers into Jesse’s hair.

All too soon, Hanzo’s legs began to ache from being positioned in such a way in his too-tight jeans, and he reluctantly uncrossed them behind Jesse’s back. Jesse took the hint and lowered Hanzo carefully to the ground. Hanzo drew his hands back to cup Jesse’s face and gave him one more lingering kiss before pulling back and smiling up at him.

Jesse was positively glowing, his lips red and swollen and his eyes bright. He was so fucking beautiful Hanzo could hardly believe it. “Wow. Goddamn,” Jesse said.

Hanzo nodded, unable to stop smiling. “Yeah.”

Jesse chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Guess we should be gettin’ back then, huh?”

“Probably,” Hanzo agreed. He took Jesse’s hand in his, and they headed back for the table.

No one commented on their disappearance, other than a smirk and wink from Fareeha, which Hanzo pretended not to see. They slid back into the booth and Jesse immediately put his arm around Hanzo. Hanzo settled against Jesse’s side, content to be a quiet observer for the rest of the evening.

Jack and Gabriel bought another round of drinks for everyone. When Hanzo passed on his again, Jesse managed to goad Gabriel into drinking it as well as his own. Soon after, Gabriel dragged Jack to the stage for a rendition of "Love Shack" by the B-52's that had Hanzo laughing into Jesse’s shoulder.

Eventually people began to trickle out until only Angela, Fareeha, and Ana were left at the booth with Hanzo and Jesse. “You kids should all get home to bed,” Ana told them.

Jesse snorted, still nursing the latest in the series of bizarre drinks he’d decided to try. “Whatever, Mom.”

“She’s right,” Hanzo said, nudging Jesse. “You should get some rest.”

“Alright,” Jesse agreed, much more easily than Hanzo expected. “If you’re ready to go we can go. You still good to drive?”

Hanzo chuckled. “I had better be, considering your current state.”

Jesse gave him a look of mock-offense. “And just what the hell is wrong with my current state?” he demanded, even as he slumped more heavily onto Hanzo’s shoulder.

“You’re drunk,” Angela put in helpfully, though she was one to talk. She hiccuped, startling herself and giggling.

“ _You’re_ drunk,” Jesse retorted, giggling along with her.

Hiding a grin, Hanzo carefully pushed Jesse into a more upright position and held out a hand. “Keys?”

“Oh. Right. Y'gonna need those, yeah." Jesse dug into his pocket to retrieve his keys and dropped them into Hanzo’s waiting palm.

“Thank you. Are you ready to go?”

“Sure, sure.” Hanzo slipped out of the booth first and helped Jesse to his feet. He only swayed a little bit before steadying himself with an arm wrapped firmly around Hanzo’s shoulders. “Pleasure seein’ all you lovely ladies,” he said, tipping an imaginary hat.

 

After exchanging their goodbyes, Hanzo and Jesse walked back to Jesse’s car with their arms around one another. Jesse managed to give Hanzo mostly-coherent directions back to his apartment complex, and when they arrived Hanzo helped Jesse up the stairs to his door. When they reached it Jesse stopped abruptly and frowned. “How you gonna get home?”

Hanzo shrugged. “I was thinking that, if it would be okay with you, I could drive myself home in your car and return it to you in the morning.”

“Naw, I don’t want you to have to do that.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“Yeah.” Jesse put his hands on Hanzo’s waist and grinned. “Stay the night.”

Hanzo raised an eyebrow. “You are drunk.”

Jesse laughed. “Don't worry, I’m not sayin’, like, _stay the night_ ,” he said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. “I’m just sayin’, stay the night, regular. I got a couch. You can borrow whatever you need and I’ll drive you home in the mornin’.”

Hanzo considered. Though not drunk, he was rather tired. “Alright,” he agreed. “Thank you.”

“Anythin’ for you, baby,” Jesse said, pressing a sloppy kiss to Hanzo’s cheek. He took his keys back from Hanzo and, after a few tries, managed to unlock the door.

Jesse’s small apartment was a little cluttered, but otherwise well-kept. Hanzo looked around with interest, but when he yawned he decided he could take a closer look in the morning. “C’mon,” Jesse said, beckoning for Hanzo to follow him as he lumbered through the living room and into a little hallway.

Hanzo followed Jesse into his bedroom. Clothes littered the floor, and he tried not to step on any while Jesse rummaged through a dresser drawer. Eventually he turned around and handed a bundle of clothes to Hanzo. “Pajamas, if you want ‘em,” he explained. “Sorry it’s kinda messy, but you can sleep in my bed. I’ll take the couch.”

Hanzo frowned. “No, I’ll take the couch.”

“You’re a guest.”

“Guests are supposed to take the couch.”

Jesse huffed. “I’m ‘bout to pass out anyway. I could sleep on the floor for all I care. You get the bed.”

Hanzo pursed his lips. “I would not mind sharing.”

Jesse’s eyes widened. “Sharing the bed?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Jesse said quickly, and Hanzo smiled at his enthusiasm.

Jesse was already under the covers when Hanzo emerged from the bathroom after getting ready for bed. Hanzo sat on the edge of Jesse's bed, and Jesse immediately rolled over, propped himself up on one elbow, and leaned over to kiss him. After a moment he pulled back and leaned their foreheads together. “Hanzo,” he murmured.

“Hm?”

Jesse grinned and bumped his nose against Hanzo’s, making him laugh. “I like you so damn much.”

Hanzo cupped Jesse's cheek and leaned down to kiss him again, and Jesse hummed happily. “I like you very much, as well.”

Jesse lazily carded his fingers through Hanzo’s hair. “Still ain’t quite sure how I managed that one, darlin’.”

Hanzo huffed softly. “Very easily, I assure you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. I would be happy to go into further detail at another time, but at present I think it would be better for you to sleep.”

“Okay, okay.” Jesse laid back down, and when Hanzo laid down beside him he threw an arm across Hanzo’s waist.

Hanzo shifted closer, nestling against Jesse. “Thank you for everything tonight, Jesse.”

“Naw, thank _you_ ,” Jesse returned, kissing Hanzo’s forehead. “G’night, darlin'.”

Hanzo sighed contentedly. “Good night, Jesse.”

 

\---

 

Hanzo was startled awake by the alarm on his phone. No, that wasn’t his alarm, he realized groggily; that was his ringtone. He wiggled out of Jesse’s arms and grabbed for his phone.

INCOMING CALL FROM: MERCY MEDICAL

Hanzo’s heart rate sped up. He hurried out of Jesse’s bedroom and shut the door quietly behind himself. In Jesse’s living room, he stared at his phone for several long seconds, steeling himself for the worst.

Finally, he answered the call, his voice rough with sleep and fear. “Hanzo Shimada speaking.”

A beat of silence. Then a soft laugh on the other end of the line, a sound Hanzo had thought he might never hear again. His eyes filled with tears.

“Hi hi, brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOO BOY! we did it!! now time for the footnOTES
> 
> a multitude of thanks to my amazing beta [brenna](http://butchlesbiankillian.tumblr.com) whom i love with all my heart
> 
> also thanks to [paige](http://twitter.com/patchworkroyal) for motivating me to keep writing when i wanted to sleep/shower instead, you have her to thank for the completion of this chapter and also my death
> 
> and if you didn't see it before check out [this amazing art](http://gnarlybit.tumblr.com/post/150517655970/omg-you-should-do-mchanzo-castle-in-the-sky) that [gnarlybit](http://gnarlybit.tumblr.com) did of chapter 3!!
> 
> TRANSLATIONS  
>  _bichette_ \- small female deer, teasing french nickname (thank you [lise](http://captainmayflower.tumblr.com)!!)  
>  (thank you [roshabot](http://twitter.com/roshabot) and [slampora](http://archiveofourown.org/users/slampora) for the spanish corrections!!)
> 
> KARAOKE PLAYLIST  
> Mei - ["Let It Go"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0MK7qz13bU) by Idina Menzel (thanks [jamie](http://mephistophelesxoxo.tumblr.com)!)  
> Roadhog - ["Rag and Bone"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5vnyeqh2UY) by the White Stripes (thanks [someguywholikeslego](http://someguywholikeslego.tumblr.com)!)  
> Jesse and Angie - ["Wannabe"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw-QRyQcFH8) by the Spice Girls  
> Fareeha - ["Sexual Healing"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA4_O3oeJCw) by Marvin Gaye (thanks [libby](http://weeklybrawl.tumblr.com)!)  
> Reinhardt - ["Night Rocker"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWnC79QoDKs) by David Hasselhoff (thanks [kaitlyn](http://hana-dva-s0ng.tumblr.com)!)  
> Hanzo - ["Life Is A Highway"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5TIulzXoXo) by Rascal Flatts  
> Jack and Gabe - ["Love Shack"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gZ4oYYFQd0) by the B-52's
> 
> ok wow that was a Lot but that's it for now!! talk to me if you wanna and i will see you next time my dudes
> 
> tumblr: [@sodawife](http://sodawife.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [@GENJAMlN](http://twitter.com/genjamln)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alriiiiight so this is where we get our M-rating, it's nothing too spicy but if you don't wanna read it you can just stop when they get to the hotel!

Jesse woke to an unfamiliar noise and a warm weight against his chest. It took him a second to sleepily remember -- Hanzo was in his bed. He smiled despite the irritating noise.

Hanzo lurched out of bed and rushed from the room, taking the noise with him, and Jesse realized it must be his phone. He wondered who could be calling on a Saturday at… He squinted at his bedside clock. 8:36 AM. God. Too early.

When Hanzo didn’t come back in right away, Jesse sat up slowly, wincing at the dull throbbing in his head. He forced himself to get out of bed and stagger into the bathroom. He splashed his face with water, took a few aspirin, and decided it wouldn’t hurt to brush his teeth, just in case Hanzo was into morning kissing.

Jesse had just plopped back onto the edge of his bed to wait for the aspirin to kick in when Hanzo came back in. There were tears running down his cheeks, but he was smiling.

“Genji is awake.”

Jesse’s jaw dropped. “Really?”

“Yes.” Hanzo laughed incredulously and wiped at his tears with the back of his hand. “I can't believe it.”

Headache forgotten, Jesse grinned and held his arms out, and Hanzo rushed in, sprawling across Jesse's lap and throwing his arms around his neck. “I’m so glad, darlin’,” Jesse managed to say despite having a mouthful of Hanzo’s hair.

Hanzo pulled back a bit and adjusted his position. “Sorry,” he mumbled apologetically. “I am squishing you.”

“You're not,” Jesse said quickly, lifting a hand to run it through Hanzo's soft, loose hair. There was a kink in it from yesterday’s ponytail. It was adorable. “Even if you were, I wouldn't care. I’m so happy that you're so happy, you can do anythin’ you want to me, honey.”

Hanzo narrowed his eyes at Jesse, smirking slightly, and Jesse realized what he'd said. “I mean, I meant -- ” He paused, grinned, shrugged. “Actually, you can take that however you want.”

Hanzo's smirk turned into a soft smile. “I will remember that and consider exploiting it another time, perhaps, but right now I would just like to kiss you.”

“You can do that,” Jesse agreed readily. Hanzo laughed and leaned in, pressing his lips softly to Jesse's.

After just a second Hanzo pulled back with a frown. “You brushed your teeth.”

“Oh. Yeah. Figured I might as well, while you were, y’know.” Jesse mimed holding a phone to his ear.

Hanzo slid out of Jesse's lap, and Jesse made an embarrassing noise of disappointment. “I will be right back,” Hanzo announced.

“Aw, why?” Jesse whined, reaching out for Hanzo, but Hanzo stepped out of his reach.

“I need to brush my teeth as well.”

“Naw, I don't mind.”

“I do,” Hanzo said firmly, and turned to pad to the bathroom. Jesse noticed for the first time the way his borrowed pajama pants were pooling at Hanzo's feet. He chuckled fondly.

A couple minutes later Hanzo emerged from the bathroom and headed straight back for where Jesse was sitting on the edge of the bed. He immediately put his knees on either side of Jesse on the bed, straddling his lap, and draped his arms over Jesse's shoulders.

Jesse brought his hands up to grip Hanzo’s waist. “Satisfied?” he asked, raising an eyebrow and grinning.

“Yes.” Hanzo kissed Jesse again, this time with a fervor that indicated he didn't intend to pull away again anytime soon. He parted his lips against Jesse’s, and Jesse eagerly followed suit and tilted his head for a better angle. Hanzo sighed into Jesse's mouth, swiping his tongue lightly across Jesse's lower lip.

As Jesse's tongue met Hanzo's, his hands found Hanzo's hips and tugged him forward until their chests pressed together. Hanzo moaned quietly and shifted his weight, grinding gently into Jesse, and Jesse gasped at the sudden friction.

Hanzo pulled back just enough to speak, breathing heavily. “I need to go see Genji.”

“Yeah,” Jesse breathed, not quite able to think straight with Hanzo’s hips still moving against his. He leaned forward and kissed along Hanzo's jaw up towards his ear.

“I should -- ” Hanzo’s head fell to the side with a sharp exhale as Jesse moved on to kiss his neck. “I should go soon.”

“Okay.” Jesse sucked at Hanzo's collarbone, exposed by the too-wide neck of the borrowed shirt, and Hanzo groaned.

“Jesse…”

“Mm.”

“I'm going to go now.”

“Okay.” Jesse pressed one last kiss to the mark he’d just made and pulled back reluctantly. Hanzo smiled down at him and combed his fingers through Jesse’s hair.

“Would you -- ” Hanzo cut himself off and frowned.

“What is it?”

“I was going to… It is too much to ask,” Hanzo said, shaking his head.

Jesse reached up to cup Hanzo's chin, using all his self-control to not start kissing him again. “You can ask me.”

Hanzo sighed. “I was going to ask if you would go with me.”

“To visit Genji?”

“Yes. But I should not have -- ”

“‘Course I will.”

Hanzo’s brow furrowed. “Really?”

Jesse shrugged. “Sure, why not? I ain’t got work or anythin’ today, and I know you don’t really like makin’ the drive by yourself.”

“You remember that?”

Jesse drummed his fingers lightly against Hanzo’s sides. “Well, yeah.”

Hanzo’s face was unreadable as he stared at Jesse. Jesse held Hanzo’s gaze as long as he could, but he snapped first. “Somethin’ wrong?”

Hanzo shook his head minutely. “No.”

“Then...what’s up?”

Hanzo pursed his lips. “I am trying very hard not to push you back onto this bed and ravish you.”

Jesse’s mouth fell open, and he felt heat rushing to his face, as well as to some of his other favorite parts of his body. “I… Well,” he mumbled, dragging a hand across his face to try and regain his composure.

Hanzo wasn’t helping, smirking down at him like he knew exactly what effect his choice of words had had on Jesse. Considering that he was still straddling Jesse’s lap, he probably did. Damn bastard. Smug, beautiful bastard.

“Perhaps another time, yes?” Hanzo said breezily.

“Yes,” Jesse agreed, quick and enthusiastic, and Hanzo laughed.

“In all seriousness, though. You’re willing to accompany me?”

“Yeah, absolutely. I’m happy to do it if it’ll help you, and besides, I’d be a damn fool to turn down a chance to spend more time with you.”

Hanzo smiled and kissed Jesse’s cheek. “Thank you.” He started to pull back from Jesse’s lap, but Jesse held onto his hips to stop him.

“So, just for future reference, what was it exactly that made you wanna ravish me?”

Hanzo tilted his head, considering. “I think it was a combination of your thoughtfulness and your bedhead.” He ruffled Jesse’s hair gently. “It’s cute.”

Jesse grinned. “Aw, you think I’m cute?”

“Of course I do. You’re very cute.”

Jesse ducked his head to try and hide his blush, nuzzling against Hanzo’s neck. “Well, shucks, darlin’.”

Hanzo laughed and kissed Jesse’s cheek. “Will you take me home so I can get ready to go?”

“Sure thing, baby.” Jesse got to his feet, taking Hanzo with him and locking his arms under Hanzo’s ass to keep him in place.

Hanzo yelped with surprise and tightened his grip. “Jesse!”

“Alright, let’s go.” Jesse carried Hanzo to the bedroom door, grinning at Hanzo’s attempts to protest through his laughter.

“Jesse, put me down,” Hanzo managed, still laughing.

Jesse feigned innocence. “Oh, you didn’t want me to just carry you home like this? Your loss.”

Hanzo rolled his eyes. “Ridiculous.”

“You like it,” Jesse teased, grinning hugely.

Hanzo chuckled and kissed the tip of Jesse’s nose. “Yes. I really do.”

 

***

 

Jesse let Hanzo drag him through the hospital until finally they stopped just before a closed door. “This is it,” Hanzo said breathlessly. He looked anxious, excited, and like he might be sick.

Jesse squeezed his hand. “You want me to go in with you or just wait out here?”

Hanzo thought for a moment. “It would probably be best if you wait for the time being,” he decided, sounding apologetic.

“‘Kay. That’s no problem,” Jesse assured him. “You just let me know if you want me to come in. Otherwise I’ll just be here waitin’ whenever you’re ready to go.”

“Alright.” Eyes closed, Hanzo took a deep breath in and pushed it back out. He opened his eyes and smiled nervously at Jesse. “Thank you, Jesse.”

Jesse leaned down and pecked Hanzo on the cheek. “Anytime, sweetheart. Go ahead.” Hanzo nodded, released Jesse’s hand, and went through the door.

There were several chairs lined up outside the room, but they looked less than comfortable. Unsure what to do, Jesse paced back and forth a bit for a few minutes. Too late he realized he maybe should’ve brought something to do while Hanzo caught up with Genji.

As Jesse walked past the room again his eye was caught by a flash of green in the window. He couldn’t help pausing and peering through the open blinds for a closer look.

Sitting in the hospital bed was a kid who looked just a couple years younger than him and Hanzo, with various bandages and casts covering most of his body. His head was mostly exposed other than a bandage around his forehead, separating bright green hair from a face crisscrossed with half-healed scars. Jesse’s gut twisted as he remembered what Hanzo had told him: that Genji had been cut and broken all over from his fall. It certainly could’ve been worse -- here he was, alive and laughing -- but he still looked like hell.

Hanzo was sitting in a chair beside the bed, leaning forward and smiling through the tears on his face. As if he could feel Jesse looking at him, he turned to the window and caught Jesse’s eye, and his smile grew.

Genji followed Hanzo’s gaze, and his eyes widened when he saw Jesse. He turned immediately back to Hanzo and started speaking loudly enough that Jesse could hear it through the door, though he couldn’t understand the Japanese.

Jesse flushed as the brothers kept talking and glancing at him every few seconds. He wondered what they were saying about him. After a minute, Genji turned back to the window and gestured wildly with a heavily bandaged hand. Hanzo frowned and put a placating hand on Genji’s shoulder before standing and walking to the door.

Hanzo poked his head out of the room. His eyes were a little red and puffy, but he looked otherwise happy. Jesse spoke quickly. “Sorry, I wasn’t meanin’ to spy or anythin’.”

“It’s fine. Would you like to come in?”

“You’ve only had a couple minutes,” Jesse said, shaking his head. “I don’t wanna intrude on your, y’know. Brotherly catchin’ up and stuff.”

“Aniki, you said the wrong thing,” came a singsong voice from within the room.

Hanzo sighed, exasperated but fond. “What I was supposed to say is, would you please come in? Genji would like to meet you.”

Jesse frowned. “You sure it’s okay with you?”

“Yes.” Hanzo reached out and took Jesse’s hand. “Please come in.”

Jesse chuckled. “Alrighty then.” Hanzo withdrew into the room, pulling Jesse with him.

When he saw Jesse, Genji sat up straighter and gave him a dazzling smile. “Hello. I am Genji.”

Jesse took off his hat with the hand Hanzo wasn’t holding -- it seemed like something you should maybe do when addressing someone in a hospital bed after they’d nearly died. “Howdy. I’m Jesse.”

“‘Howdy’?” Genji’s face lit up, and he looked to Hanzo. “Brother, are you dating a _cowboy_? Is he your -- ” Genji cut himself off with a laugh. " _Cowboyfriend_?”

Jesse looked over at Hanzo uncertainly. Hanzo didn’t seem any more sure than he felt. They hadn’t really done the whole defining-the-relationship thing yet, which maybe they should’ve before meeting the family. Whoops.

Genji looked back and forth between the two of them and laughed. “Oh, I see. You haven’t talked about it yet. My bad. Anyway, it is nice to meet you, Jesse.”

Jesse rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly. “Nice to meet you too.”

“So,” Genji said, leaning back against his pillows and folding his hands across his stomach with exaggerated formality. One hand was wrapped in thick bandages, the other covered by a cast going past his elbow. “How did you two meet?”

“Jesse works on the bus I have been taking to come and visit you.”

Genji frowned. “You have been taking a bus?”

“Yes.”

“Let me rephrase. _You_ have been taking a _bus_?”

Hanzo huffed. “That wasn’t rephrasing. That was just the same question with added emphasis. But yes. I’ve been taking a bus.”

“And that is how you met Jesse. Because of me.”

Hanzo rolled his eyes. “Very indirectly.”

“So this was a good thing after all.”

“I fail to see how any part of this is a good thing,” Hanzo said with a frown.

“You would never have met your cowboyfriend if I had not been in the hospital!”

Hanzo pulled at his sleeve cuffs, starting to seem anxious again. “Yes, but you could have been in the hospital for some other reason. Like...appendicitis.”

Genji snorted. “Okay, aniki. Next time you need a date I will just get appendicitis.” He rolled his eyes. “You’re welcome for being thrown out of a window.”

“How can you say that?” Hanzo snapped, now clearly upset. “You nearly _died_.” Jesse instinctively moved closer and put his arm around Hanzo, relieved when that seemed to relax him a little bit.

Genji shrugged. “I didn’t. Besides, the worst possible thing already happened to me. My hair looks _terrible_. I look like Gon from Hunter fucking Hunter.” Jesse didn’t know what that meant, but when he squinted at Genji’s hair he could see maybe half an inch of black roots poking out from the top of his forehead bandage.

Hanzo sighed and sagged against Jesse, and Jesse rubbed his arm soothingly. “You doin’ okay?” he asked under his breath. Hanzo nodded, offering him a little smile.

Genji glanced between the two of them with narrowed eyes and a calculating smirk before putting on a pretty convincing puppy dog face. “Aniki, will you get me chips?”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Hanzo said, frowning. “Are you allowed?”

“I almost died. I can do what I want.”

Hanzo sighed. “Fine. Jesse -- ”

“Jesse will keep me company,” Genji said, flapping his bandaged hand at Hanzo. “Chips!”

With another sigh Hanzo let himself out of the room, and Jesse turned back to Genji, shifting back and forth on his feet awkwardly. He wasn’t really sure what you were supposed to talk to your maybe-boyfriend’s almost-dead younger brother about.

Luckily, Genji seemed to have an idea. “Jesse.” He beckoned, and Jesse stepped closer warily. Genji leaned towards him, his eyes gleaming with earnestness. “Fuck my brother.”

Jesse was surprised first, then irritated, and he scowled. “Hey now, that ain't fair. None of this was his fault.”

Genji groaned and shook his head. “No. I mean.” He leaned in even closer -- leered, even -- and raised his eyebrows meaningfully. “ _Fuck_ my brother.”

Jesse’s face turned hot when he realized what Genji meant. “Oh.”

“He needs it. Give the stick up his ass a break, yeah? Replace it with something else for a bit?” Genji laughed, and Jesse rubbed at the back of his neck vigorously.

He was saved from responding when Hanzo reappeared, holding a small bag of plain Lay’s. He tossed it to Genji and looked back and forth between his brother’s shit-eating grin and Jesse’s red face, eyes narrowed. “What’s going on?”

Genji ignored the question. “Aniki, I cannot open this.” He waggled his incapacitated hands demonstratively.

“Oh. Sorry.” Hanzo reclaimed the bag and opened it carefully before placing it back in Genji’s lap. “Why is your hand so wrapped up, anyway? The cast I’ve seen, but your other hand seemed relatively fine during my previous visits.”

Genji made a face. “I kept picking at my scabs,” he admitted. “The nurses got mad at me, so they put the bandages on so I couldn’t anymore.”

“They are right. You shouldn’t be doing that,” Hanzo said sternly.

“I know that _now_ ,” Genji said with a sigh. “They will take it off tomorrow if I behave. Which I will. Besides, they all say that I am their favorite patient.”

“You have been unconscious almost the entire time you’ve been here. I’m sure their opinions will change after a little more time having to deal with you awake.”

Genji gave him an exaggerated scowl. “Rude. You are rude, brother,” he said accusingly. Hanzo smirked, and Jesse had to put a hand over his mouth to keep himself from laughing out loud.

With a sigh of long-suffering, Genji used both hands to pick up a chip. He managed to get it into his mouth with impressive grace, and he munched delicately. “Anyway. I am glad to see you, aniki, even though you are mean to me. But I should go back to sleep now. Will you visit me in the morning?”

Hanzo nodded. “Of course. I’m very glad you are recovering. I will be back in the morning.”

Genji raised an eyebrow and jerked his head towards Jesse. “ _We_ will be back in the morning,” Hanzo amended. “If Jesse does not mind.”

“Fine by me,” Jesse said with a shrug. “Glad you’re doin’ better, Genji. It was good to meet you.”

“Thank you. You as well.” Genji’s sincere smile morphed into a mischievous smirk. “Think about what I said, Jesse, yeah?”

Jesse tried to fight the blush he could feel rising to his face again. “Yeah,” he mumbled. Hanzo squinted at him suspiciously, but thankfully didn’t question him.

“We will see you tomorrow. Good night, Genji.”

Jesse waited until they were back in Hanzo’s car and driving to the hotel Hanzo had booked two rooms at to ask, “So how you feelin’?”

Hanzo glanced over at Jesse and smiled. “Good, I think. I cannot describe what a relief it is to see Genji awake and relatively well after all this time.” He sighed. “I just wish he would take the situation a little more seriously. The state of his hair should not be the biggest of his concerns. Although...it does look pretty bad,” he added with a smirk.

Jesse chuckled and reached over to put a hand on Hanzo’s thigh, rubbing small, hopefully soothing circles with his thumb. “He’s gonna be fine. Either he’s tryin’ to deal with it through humor, or it just hasn’t really hit him yet.” He lifted his hand from Hanzo’s leg to wiggle his prosthetic fingers. “I’ve been there.”

“I suppose,” Hanzo murmured, eyes focused on the road, and Jesse went back to tracing little circles on his thigh. “Genji liked you.”

Jesse grinned. “You think so?”

“I know so. Genji isn’t very subtle."

“I’ll say,” Jesse muttered under his breath.

Unfortunately, Hanzo heard. “Why do you say that?”

“Uh, no reason?” Jesse tried.

Hanzo scowled at him, apparently unwilling to let the subject slide for a third time. “What did Genji say to you? Was it about me?”

“Sorta,” Jesse said vaguely, rubbing his neck. “It… Please don’t make me say it right now,” he pleaded. “I’ll tell you another time, promise.”

Hanzo pursed his lips. “Fine. But only because you begged.”

“Wait a hot second, I didn’t _beg_ ,” Jesse protested. Hanzo just shrugged and smirked before his expression turned serious again.

“Can we discuss another thing Genji said?”

“Depends on which thing,” Jesse said warily.

“The thing about you...being my boyfriend,” Hanzo clarified, not looking at Jesse. “I just wanted to say that...well. I wondered if you would be interested in considering the possibility.”

Jesse grinned. “Are you askin’ me to be your boyfriend?”

Hanzo looked over at him, smiling a little bit. “Yes, I suppose I am.”

“You askin’ me to go steady with you? You want me to be your cowboyfriend?” Jesse pressed, leaning closer to Hanzo and wiggling his eyebrows.

Hanzo wrinkled his nose. “If you feel the need to put it that way, then yes.”

Jesse chuckled. “‘Course I’ll be your boyfriend, long as you’ll be mine too.”

Hanzo beamed, and Jesse’s heart melted. “Of course.”

Smiling happily, Jesse leaned over and kissed his boyfriend on the cheek.

 

***

 

“Here we are.”

Hanzo stopped between two adjacent doors, Jesse close behind. Hanzo handed Jesse a key card, then paused, pulling at the cuffs of his sleeves. He cleared his throat. “Well.”

Jesse rubbed the back of his neck. “Well.”

Hanzo exhaled sharply, not meeting Jesse's eyes. “I suppose I will see you in the morning, then.”

“Yeah.” Jesse stepped closer to Hanzo and gave him a quick kiss, but it felt awkward for some reason. Maybe because he wanted to shove his tongue in Hanzo's mouth and his hand in Hanzo's pants. He pulled back and smiled as casually as he could. “Night.”

“Good night, Jesse.”

They each inserted their key cards into their respective doors. With one last glance at Hanzo, Jesse stepped into his room, shutting the door behind him with a sigh. He tossed his backpack onto the bed and stripped on his way to the bathroom to shower. Something about hospitals always made him feel nasty.

As Jesse let the hot water rinse away the grime of the day, he thought about Hanzo. Hanzo's excitement in the morning after his phone call from Genji. Hanzo kissing him like it was his favorite thing to do. Hanzo asking him to be his boyfriend. Hanzo's reluctance to part ways at their separate hotel rooms.

The thought of going until the next morning without seeing Hanzo again suddenly seemed unbearable. It wasn't all that late; maybe he'd like to watch a movie together. Or maybe he'd like to take Jesse up on his offer to let him do anything he wanted to him. Either way, it was worth asking.

Jesse toweled off quickly and dug through his backpack to find the pajamas he'd brought. The holey T-shirt and sweatpants weren't exactly sexy, but they'd have to do.

Once he was dressed he tucked his key card into the pocket of his sweatpants and went out into the hallway, closing his door quietly behind him so as to not disturb any sleeping hotel guests. He took a deep breath and knocked lightly on Hanzo's door.

After just a few seconds the door opened, and Hanzo smiled up at Jesse. He'd showered too, by the looks of it; his hair hung loose and damp around his face, and he was wrapped in a silk robe. Jesse's mouth went dry.

“Hey,” he managed. “Do you wanna -- ”

“Yes.” Hanzo took Jesse's hand and pulled him inside, shutting the door quickly behind him.

Hanzo was on him in an instant, mouth claiming Jesse's, hands finding their way under his shirt and up his back. Jesse reacted instinctively by threading his fingers through Hanzo’s hair and pulling his head back gently to get a better angle. Hanzo’s fingernails scraped lightly down Jesse’s back, and Jesse pulled back a bit, panting and chuckling.

Hanzo scowled, apparently displeased by the pause. “What is it?”

“It’s just -- ” Jesse kissed Hanzo again and reached down with one arm to tug at Hanzo’s leg. Hanzo complied quickly, wrapping his arms around Jesse’s neck and his legs around his waist. “What I was gonna ask was -- ” Hanzo’s mouth found Jesse’s ear, kissing and sucking at his earlobe, and Jesse moaned. “God. I was just gonna ask if you wanted to -- _goddamn_ \-- watch a movie or somethin’.”

Hanzo drew back, studying Jesse with his lips pursed. “We can do that instead if you would prefer.”

Jesse shook his head quickly. “I ain’t complainin’, I just -- _fuck_ , Hanzo,” he gasped as Hanzo lunged forward again and latched onto the base of his neck, sucking hard. “Yeah. Okay. Forget that idea.” With one hand still in Hanzo’s hair and the other on his ass -- and _damn_ was it a nice ass -- Jesse carried Hanzo over to the bed and, once Hanzo loosened his grip, dropped him on top of the covers.

Before he joined Hanzo on the bed Jesse took a moment to drink in the sight before him. Even having just been dropped, Hanzo looked so carelessly elegant, propped up on both elbows and gazing up at Jesse with dark, inviting eyes. His robe had fallen off one shoulder, exposing half his chest -- the tattooed half, praise be -- and the bottom of it was shifted high on his thighs.

Jesse gulped, eyes wide. “Are you…” He couldn’t finish, just kept staring.

Hanzo cocked his head to the side. “Am I what?” He followed Jesse’s gaze down his own body and pinched the silk of his robe between his fingers. “Wearing anything underneath this?” Jesse could only nod. Hanzo laughed. “No.”

“Good Lord.” Jesse covered his face with his hands. He could feel the heat radiating from it. He peeked between his fingers to see Hanzo still looking at him with an amused smirk, and he laughed nervously. “Well, now I feel real overdressed.”

Hanzo gave him a slow grin that made his knees weak. “Easily rectified.” Hanzo beckoned, and Jesse obediently got onto the bed, crawling over to Hanzo on his knees as Hanzo pushed himself into a sitting position.

Hanzo’s fingers found the hem of Jesse’s shirt, and Jesse raised his arms so that Hanzo could pull it off over his head and toss it aside. Hanzo dragged a hand down Jesse’s chest, eyes hungry. “You are gorgeous,” he murmured.

Jesse laughed out loud. “You kiddin’ me? You’re the gorgeous one here, darlin’. Just look at you.” He gestured vaguely to Hanzo’s entire person.

Hanzo’s hand reached the waistband of Jesse’s sweatpants, and he curled his fingertips into the top of them, making Jesse’s breath catch. Hanzo smiled and said, “I would rather look at you.” He tugged Jesse forward by the front of his sweats, and Jesse happily let himself get pulled into a kiss.

Jesse brought his hands up to cup Hanzo’s neck, then carefully pushed at the silk robe until it fell off Hanzo’s shoulders. Hanzo obligingly pulled his arms the rest of the way out of the sleeves, and he wrapped his arms around Jesse, bringing them chest to chest.

With a hand on Hanzo’s chest, Jesse pushed him back gently until he was lying on his back with Jesse leaning over him. Jesse pulled back for just a second to admire Hanzo’s fully bare torso, but when Hanzo whined softly he chuckled, leaned back in, and pressed his lips just behind Hanzo’s ear.

“You’re so damn beautiful, baby,” Jesse murmured, nipping at Hanzo’s earlobe. Hanzo hummed with pleasure and brushed his fingertips down Jesse’s back. One hand slid beneath his waistband, and Hanzo drew in a sharp breath.

“You aren’t wearing anything beneath these, either.”

Jesse grinned against Hanzo’s neck. “Nope.”

“Good god.” Hanzo slipped both hands down the back of Jesse’s pants.

Jesse sighed at the cool touch and kissed Hanzo’s neck, over and over, sucking and licking and nibbling until Hanzo was moaning beneath him and gripping his ass harder. He kissed Hanzo’s collarbone, right where he’d left a hickey that morning, and pulled back just enough that he could slide a little farther down on Hanzo’s body.

He kissed all over Hanzo’s chest and down his stomach, running his hands over Hanzo’s torso and arms as he went. Hanzo's hands slid out of his sweatpants and up his back until they tangled gently in Jesse's hair, making him hum with pleasure.

When Jesse’s lips met where the silk robe was still tied around Hanzo’s waist he paused and looked up questioningly. Hanzo lifted his head to nod at Jesse. “Don’t stop,” he breathed.

Jesse immediately leaned back down and mouthed at Hanzo’s cock through the silk. Hanzo let out a soft cry, twisting his fingers in Jesse’s hair. Jesse ran his hands up Hanzo’s thighs and underneath the robe to rest on either side of his pelvis, rubbing slow circles with his thumbs as Hanzo panted and writhed beneath him.

When Jesse moved one hand over to wrap around Hanzo’s cock beneath the robe, Hanzo tightened his grip in Jesse’s hair and tugged him back. “Jesse, I’m -- I’m close,” he gasped.

Jesse leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Hanzo’s stomach. “What d’you wanna do?”

Hanzo pulled one hand out of Jesse’s hair so he could gesture. “Off. My robe and your pants. Now.”

“You got it.” Jesse got to his knees and brought his hands up, slowly pulling apart the tie to Hanzo’s robe until it fell open to reveal Hanzo entirely. Jesse let out a low whistle at the sight. “Goddamn. You -- ”

“Pants, _now_ ,” Hanzo repeated, shoving himself into a sitting position and reaching for Jesse’s sweats himself.

Jesse laughed and scooted back so he had room to pull his sweatpants down and kick them away. He looked up to see Hanzo’s eyes sweeping over his body appreciatively, and he chuckled. “Happy now?”

“Almost.” Hanzo grabbed Jesse by the hips and flipped him over so he was on his back, Hanzo on top of him. Jesse's yelp of surprise was cut short by Hanzo kissing him fiercely and taking both of their cocks in one large, warm hand. Jesse moaned at the friction, thrusting and grinding into Hanzo faster and harder by the second.

“God, Hanzo, you’re -- _Hanzo_ ,” Jesse gasped, clutching at Hanzo's back as Hanzo tensed against him. “C’mon, baby.”

Hanzo came crying Jesse’s name, head falling forward onto his shoulder. The sound and sight was enough to pull Jesse over the edge with him, and Jesse buried a loud moan in Hanzo’s neck.

When they’d both come back down, Hanzo kissed Jesse softly, then rolled off of him and onto his back beside him.

Jesse let out a content sigh. "Damn." Hanzo hummed his agreement.

They lay in silence for a few minutes, holding hands and ignoring the mess they'd made of the bed and each other. Jesse couldn’t stop smiling, and every time he looked over at Hanzo he saw a smile there too.

Eventually, Jesse sat up, and he was surprised to hear Hanzo bark with laughter. He turned back to look at him, frowning. “What is it?”

Hanzo propped his head up on his hand and chuckled. “I forgot that you told me you had a tramp stamp.”

“What’s so funny about it? Not as sexy as you thought it’d be, huh?”

“No, you’re still very sexy,” Hanzo assured him, reaching out and sliding his palm against Jesse’s lower back. “I just forgot that you had it. I was surprised, that’s all. The calligraphy is beautiful.” Hanzo traced the tattoo with soft fingertips. “What does it say?”

Jesse grimaced. “If I tell you, you’ll _really_ laugh.”

“I promise I won’t.” Hanzo’s smile was so sincere that Jesse caved immediately.

“Okay, well, it says _perro loco_. Which means…” Jesse scrunched up his face and sighed. “ _Mad dog_.”

Hanzo was silent. After a few seconds Jesse opened one eye to see Hanzo still staring at the tattoo, his mouth pressed in a tight line.

Jesse scowled at him halfheartedly. “Hey, you promised.”

“I’m not laughing,” Hanzo insisted, though he couldn’t keep from smiling. “I like it.”

Jesse smiled back. “Yeah, I do too, actually. I know I said I regretted it, but it’s hard to regret somethin’ that meant a lot to you when you were younger, you know? When I was seventeen I thought it was just the coolest damn thing.”

He twisted to get as good a glimpse of the tattoo as he could. “Now I realize it’s, y’know. Not so much. But it was important to me then, so I like it now. At least it’s pretty, long as you don’t know what it means.”

Hanzo sat up and wrapped his arms tightly around Jesse’s waist. “It’s still pretty even if you do know that it means _mad dog_.” A snort of laughter escaped him, and he buried his face in Jesse’s shoulder. “Sorry.”

Jesse sighed melodramatically. “It’s a curse I brought on myself. I accepted it a long time ago.”

“That’s good,” Hanzo mumbled against Jesse’s skin.

“You sound sleepy, sweetheart.”

“Mm. I am, a little. Good sex will do that to you.”

Jesse laughed and kissed the top of Hanzo’s head. “Yeah, I’m feelin’ pretty tuckered out myself. We should get to sleep. Let’s clean up a bit and then I’ll...go back to my room?” he said, more question than statement.

Hanzo hummed. “Okay.” Jesse felt a little disappointed until Hanzo continued, “I will go with you. I paid for two rooms; it seems a shame not to use both.”

Jesse laughed and leaned down to kiss Hanzo. “I like the way you think, darlin’.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you [gnarlybit](http://gnarlybit.tumblr.com) for drawing [more beautiful crossroads art](http://bit.ly/2cxFj97)!!!!! there are scenes from the first four chapters and they are amazing, i cried for the rest of the night when i first saw it, please check them out!! <3
> 
> thank you [brenna](http://butchlesbiankillian.tumblr.com) for fixing my plot holes and weird sentences and just giving me solid input all around! she is the beta of my dreams <3
> 
> thank you [paige](http://twitter.com/patchworkroyal) for being my pre-beta, aka validating my ego by screaming a lot <3
> 
> thank you [roshabot](http://twitter.com/roshabot) for the tramp stamp suggestion <3
> 
> and thank YOU for reading as always!! u guys are great
> 
> tumblr: [@sodawife](http://sodawife.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [@GENJAMlN](http://twitter.com/genjamln)


	8. Chapter 8

Hanzo was fairly certain he had never been more comfortable in his entire life than he was at this precise moment.

Jesse’s bare back was warm against his skin, and Hanzo tightened his arm around Jesse’s waist, pulling himself even closer. Jesse hummed sleepily. “G’mornin’ there.”

“Good morning, indeed,” Hanzo mumbled against Jesse’s shoulder, pressing a soft kiss to his skin. Jesse chuckled and rolled over to face Hanzo, lifting a hand to brush through his hair.

“So damn pretty, even in the mornin’.”

Hanzo tilted his head up to kiss Jesse. “I could say the same for you.”

Jesse’s smile was full of bliss and adoration, and as he smiled back Hanzo realized he was probably in love with Jesse McCree.

Hanzo rolled to his other side to get out of bed before Jesse could notice the slight flush coloring his cheeks. When he saw the time on the bedside clock he winced. “It is much later than I thought. We should get to the hospital as soon as possible.”

“Okay.” With a groan, Jesse rolled out of bed as well and headed for his backpack. Hanzo took a moment to admire the sight of his very attractive, very naked boyfriend before unzipping his own suitcase.

As he dressed, Hanzo glanced back over at Jesse again, and he stopped with one leg in his pants. “What...is that?”

Jesse looked up from fastening his belt, which had a gigantic golden buckle. “Oh, this ol’ thing?”

“Yes, that.”

“I always wear this. You ain’t seen it?”

Hanzo pulled his pants the rest of the way on and reached for his shirt to continue dressing. “I most certainly have not.”

“You sure?”

“Believe me, I would remember.”

“Why, you don’t like it?” Jesse said with an exaggerated pout.

“It is...very unique,” Hanzo replied carefully, still eyeing the gaudy accessory.

Jesse chuckled. “That it is,” he agreed. “Gabe got it for me, after I got my arm.” He tapped a prosthetic finger against the buckle, the metal on metal giving off a tinny sound. “Said I’d earned it for bein’ such a badass.”

“Hm.” Hanzo stepped over to Jesse and reached to touch the belt buckle. Jesse brought a hand up to cup the side of Hanzo’s neck, thumb stroking back and forth as Hanzo traced the engraved letters one by one. _B-A-M-F_. “Ridiculous,” he murmured, a smile tugging at his lips.

“I can take it back off, if y’want,” Jesse offered with a grin, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

In response, Hanzo slipped his fingers into the waistband of Jesse’s jeans, curling his hand around the buckle and earning a sharp intake of breath from Jesse. He tugged Jesse closer and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. Jesse made a quiet noise of pleasure and put his other hand on Hanzo’s waist underneath his half-buttoned shirt.

After a moment Hanzo pulled away, and Jesse whined softly. “We need to go to the hospital,” Hanzo reminded him, and when Jesse let him go he rewarded him with another quick kiss. “There will be plenty of other opportunities for this, I assure you.”

“I’ll hold you to that, darlin’,” Jesse said with a wink, and Hanzo rolled his eyes and smiled.

 

***

 

The hospital was much busier than Hanzo was used to. He was usually there in the evenings, through the night and the early morning; he’d never been there at midday.

He led Jesse through the hospital towards Genji’s room once again, dodging around frantic doctors and tired nurses. Hanzo caught sight of a familiar blonde ponytail in the rush, and he tugged at Jesse’s hand. “Is that Angela?”

Jesse squinted where Hanzo was pointing. “Huh, think so. Hey, Ang!” he shouted.

Sure enough, Angela whirled around, looking startled. “Oh!” She smiled and pushed her way past a gaggle of half-asleep young nurses until she reached them. “What are you two doing here?”

“My brother woke up from his coma yesterday,” Hanzo told her. “I wanted to come see him immediately. Jesse kindly came to keep me company.”

Angela smiled. “You’re a good brother. And you’re a good boyfriend,” she added to Jesse with a wink.

Hanzo sent Jesse a questioning look; the _boyfriend_ title was a relatively new development, one that he wouldn’t have expected Angela to know about yet. Jesse chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I texted and told her last night,” he admitted. “I was real excited.”

“You’re adorable,” Hanzo murmured, squeezing Jesse’s hand and smiling at him happily. Jesse blushed, but looked pleased.

“But you didn’t tell me you were going to be here,” Angela said, prodding Jesse’s chest accusingly.

“I didn’t know you were gonna be here, either.”

Angela frowned. “I volunteer here most of the day every Saturday and Sunday. You know that.”

“Oh. Right.” Jesse offered her an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Ang, there was just a lot goin’ on yesterday. Wasn’t really thinkin’ straight, I guess. But I’m glad we ran into you anyway!” He let go of Hanzo’s hand to wrap Angela in an appeasing hug. It seemed to work, as her frown smoothed out and she hugged him back.

“Well, I was just heading to the cafeteria for lunch,” she said, nodding in the direction she’d been heading before they stopped her. “Would you two like to join me? They have pretty good pie here.”

Jesse visibly perked up at the mention of pie, but he said, “Thanks, but we gotta get up to see Genji.”

Hanzo shook his head. “You should go. Genji and I could use some time to ourselves, anyway.”

“You sure?”

“Of course. You can just find me when you’re done. You remember where his room is?”

“Uh, yeah, I can probably find it.”

“I’ll help,” Angela chimed in.

“Perfect. Enjoy yourselves,” Hanzo said, smiling at Jesse.

“Will do.” Jesse leaned down to kiss Hanzo on the cheek. “See you soon, darlin’.”

As Jesse and Angela headed towards the cafeteria arm in arm, Hanzo turned and resumed heading for Genji’s room, trying his best to avoid bumping into any patients or staff. When he reached Genji’s room he let himself in.

Genji sat up straight and smiled when the door opened. “Good morning, aniki.”

“Good morning, Genji.” Hanzo shut the door behind himself and took a seat in his usual chair at Genji’s bedside. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” Genji said with a shrug. “Tired. And thirsty. I asked them for a Dr. Pepper but they said I was _still recovering_ and should  _watch my sugar intake._ ” His words were accompanied by a grimace and dramatic air quotes; apparently he had obeyed the nurses and regained his hand privileges. “Or something like that, I think. I don’t fucking know doctor words.”

Hanzo huffed with laughter. “Listen to your doctors. You can go back to drinking disgusting amounts of soda after you’re released.”

“It’s cool. I’ll have Amé smuggle me some when she visits me later,” Genji said with a smirk. Before Hanzo could protest, he continued, “Anyway, where is Jesse? Did I scare him off with what I said last night?”

“No, he’s just getting lunch with a friend. What did you say to him?” Hanzo narrowed his eyes menacingly at Genji, determined to get an answer to the question Jesse had so steadfastly avoided the previous night.

“Nothing even bad, promise. I only suggested that he...bed you,” Genji said delicately.

“ _What_?” Hanzo spluttered. “Genji, _why_?”

Genji grinned unapologetically. “You need to get laid. Or should I say _needed_? You did sleep with him, yes? I can tell.”

“That is not your concern,” Hanzo muttered, even as he felt the blood rushing to his face. “We are not discussing this right now, or ever.”

“You never let me have any fun,” Genji pouted.

“We aren’t here for _fun_. We’re here because the yakuza tried to kill you.”

Genji gave an airy shrug. “I’m fine.”

“That’s not the point.” Hanzo leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his knees, giving Genji his best gentle-but-stern look. “We need to talk about this, Genji.”

For the first time since Hanzo had seen him awake, Genji’s face fell into a more serious expression. “I know,” he said quietly. He settled back into his pillows and looked over at Hanzo. “You are okay, right? They haven’t done anything to you since…?”

Hanzo shook his head. “I am fine. They’ve contacted me a few times since, but nothing so drastic. I still don’t know who’s behind all this, but they’re smart enough to wait and make sure they didn’t accidentally kill a civilian before coming after me in full force again.”

“Well, that’s good,” Genji said, looking relieved. “So do you think it will start again now that I’m awake?”

Hanzo hesitated, but decided to be honest. “Yes,” he admitted.

“What can we do?”

“I don’t know.” Hanzo sighed and dropped his face into his hands. “Nothing I have tried so far has worked.”

Genji was quiet for a moment before speaking up again. “Hanzo?”

Surprised to hear Genji call him by name for once, Hanzo lifted his head to see Genji watching him with concern. “Yes?”

“Please...do not keep me in the dark about this,” Genji said, looking down at his bandages and picking at loose threads nervously. “I know you are trying to protect me, but maybe I could help. I want to help.”

Hanzo’s heart wrenched painfully. He’d wanted to keep Genji from being involved, and this was where it had gotten them: his baby brother, broken and bandaged in a hospital bed. “Of course. I am… I’m so sorry, Genji.”

Genji shook his head. “You don’t need to apologize, aniki. Just talk to me. We will figure this out together, yeah?”

“Alright.”

Genji let out a low whistle, then straightened up and laughed, his unaffected demeanor returning. “Anyway, let us talk about something more interesting. I want to talk about your love life.”

Hanzo sighed, but decided he could humor Genji at least for a little bit, given the circumstances. “Fine. What do you want to know? Keep it appropriate,” he warned.

“No fun,” Genji huffed. “But fine. Why don’t you just tell me everything from the beginning?”

“You want to know everything?”

“Of course. I need as much information as possible before I pass judgment on whether or not this cowboy is worthy of my big brother,” Genji said, very seriously.

Hanzo chuckled. “I assure you, he is. But alright.”

And so he told Genji everything, from the beginning. How he’d started to take the bus when his sleepless nights at Genji’s side made it unsafe for him to make the drive home the next day. How the sweet, handsome bus attendant had brightened the trip with his kindness.

Genji cackled with glee at Hanzo’s embarrassing conversation with Mrs. Willoughby, and cooed appreciatively at their Taco Bell confessions, and crowed with delight at the image of Hanzo singing karaoke at Jesse’s birthday party. “You finally learned how to have fun while I was in a coma, huh, anija?” Genji said teasingly.

Hanzo rolled his eyes, but smiled. “I may have had some fun.”

“I’m glad.” Genji beamed. “What did you get him, by the way?”

Hanzo blinked. “Get him?”

“For his birthday.”

Hanzo stared at Genji, who was watching him expectantly. After several seconds, Hanzo groaned and covered his face with his hands.

Genji gasped. “Oh my god. You forgot.”

“I forgot.”

“You are the worst boyfriend _ever_ ,” Genji told him. “But luckily, you have the best brother ever. You’re welcome.”

“For what?”

“Reminding you!”

“That’s barely helpful,” Hanzo grumbled. “Do you have any suggestions?”

Genji gave a careless shrug. “He’s your cowboyfriend, not mine. You’ll figure it out.”

Hanzo sighed heavily. “You are no help at all.”

“I almost died,” Genji said, and Hanzo groaned. He could see the beginning of a pattern here, and he was going to have to just let it happen, due to the fact that Genji had almost died.

There was a soft knock on the door. Genji shouted, “Come in!” After a second the door opened, and Jesse and Angela entered the room.

“Jesse! Good to see you,” Genji said happily, before turning to Angela with a smile Hanzo knew well. It was Genji’s _I-would-like-to-get-in-this-person’s-pants_ smile. “And who is your lovely friend?”

Angela smiled at him patiently. “Hi. You must be Hanzo’s brother. I’m Angela.”

“I am Genji. It is wonderful to meet you, Angel.”

“It’s Angela.”

“Are you sure? Because you look like you just fell from heaven,” Genji said with a wink.

Hanzo sighed and covered Genji’s mouth with his hand. “Forgive my brother. I wish I could say he is not himself and it’s the anesthetics talking, but he’s always this terrible.” Genji licked Hanzo’s hand, and Hanzo withdrew it quickly with a noise of disgust.

“I am a delight,” Genji said serenely, even as Hanzo wiped his wet hand onto the shoulder of Genji’s hospital gown.

Angela shook her head. “It’s fine. You have no idea how many times every day I get some variation of the fell-from-heaven line,” she said with a tired laugh. Hanzo thought back to when Fareeha had texted Angela that very line and winced inwardly. He’d have to tell her to step up her pickup line game.

“Anyway, I need to get back to work,” Angela sighed. “But it was good to see you guys. Nice to meet you, Genji. See you on Monday?” she said to Jesse.

“Yep. See ya.”

“Goodbye, Angela,” Hanzo said.

Angela smiled at them and left the room, shutting the door halfway through Genji’s call of, “Au revoir, Angel!”

Hanzo turned an exasperated stare on Genji. “Must you?”

“I must. Will you pretty please hook me up with Angela?”

“Absolutely not.”

Genji turned his puppy dog eyes on Jesse instead. “Jesse?”

Jesse shook his head sharply. “No way.”

Genji scowled. “No wonder you two like each other so much. You both suck.”

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a relationship where two dudes both suck,” Jesse said affably. “If you know what I’m sayin’.”

Hanzo groaned loudly, and Genji hooted and high fived Jesse. “Never mind. I like you again. Aniki, I approve of your cowboyfriend. He is good.”

“Unbelievable. Both of you,” Hanzo said over Genji and Jesse’s raucous laughter.

“But you love us,” Genji cackled, and Hanzo sighed. He really did.

 

***

 

The next day Hanzo entered the mall nervously. He came here somewhat often with Genji, so it was familiar enough to him, but the fact that he had no idea what he was looking for had him on edge. What could possibly express the feelings he had for Jesse?

He walked listlessly, peering into shop windows as he passed them. There was a shop with several expensive-looking pairs of cowboy boots on display; perhaps Jesse would like those? But Hanzo didn’t know his shoe size.

Nothing else caught his eye until he reached the end of the row and saw something that made him stop short. The last shop’s windows were full of cacti. Hanzo stepped closer, eyes sweeping across the surprising variety on display.

Yes, this was the right place to look.

A soft tinkle of chimes sounded above his head as he went through the door, and a delicate scent pervaded his nostrils. He sniffed lightly -- it was lavender incense. A nice touch.

As Hanzo walked farther into the shop he noticed a young man in a dimly lit corner, sitting atop a woven mat with his eyes closed. At the sound of Hanzo’s approaching footsteps he opened his eyes and smiled.

“Welcome.” The man got gracefully to his feet. “Sorry. I was just meditating.”

Hanzo nodded in acknowledgement. “I imagine a place such as this provides a fine atmosphere for meditation,” he said, looking around.

“It does,” the man agreed. “Is there something I can help you with today, or would you like to just look around?”

“I think I will try looking around. I’m not certain what I’m looking for.”

“Of course.” The young man inclined his head understandingly. “My name is Zenyatta. Please let me know if I can assist you in any way.” In one fluid motion, Zenyatta dropped back to his mat and into a flawless half lotus.

Hanzo turned away and began to peruse the selection. He’d been impressed by the variety just in the display windows; the spread within the shop was even more overwhelming. He was beginning to think Jesse hadn’t been exaggerating about there being a thousand different kinds of cacti.

He eyes slid past several shelves of succulents -- they were beautiful, and very much to his taste, but not what he was looking for. He glanced around the whole shop and realized that he could easily spend all day here if he tried to explore on his own. Finally Hanzo gave up and sighed. “Excuse me, Zenyatta?” he called.

A few moments later Zenyatta was beside him. “Yes?”

“I think...I need help choosing.”

“I’m happy to help,” Zenyatta said, smiling brightly. “What are you looking for?”

“I am looking for a slightly belated birthday gift,” Hanzo told him. After a moment’s pause, he added, “For my boyfriend." 

Zenyatta hummed. “Tell me about him.”

“His name is Jesse,” Hanzo told him.“He’s the best person I’ve ever known. He loves country music and Mexican food and the desert and cacti. I want to give him something that shows him how much I -- ” He stopped himself and took a deep breath. “Something that shows him how much I care for him.”

A little embarrassed by his own candor, Hanzo glanced over to see Zenyatta looking at him thoughtfully. He swallowed. “Is that enough to go on?”

“Sure. I think I have just the thing.” Zenyatta practically floated across the shop, Hanzo trailing behind him. They stopped near the front of the shop, and Zenyatta picked up a small potted cactus from one of the window displays.

“Mammillaria elongata,” Zenyatta said. “It has a few colloquial names, but it’s most often called the golden star cactus. It’s native to Mexico and very resilient.” He presented the cactus to Hanzo. “What do you think?”

Hanzo carefully took the cactus from Zenyatta. He turned it this way and that in his hands to examine it. True to its name, it had white-gold spines that curved back to the green flesh and formed little starbursts. It was lovely, and what Zenyatta had told him about it made it all the more suitable.

Hanzo nodded decisively. “I will take it.”

Zenyatta smiled. “Great. I can ring you up over here.” He took the cactus and beckoned for Hanzo to follow him over to a small checkout counter, where he set the cactus down and began to fiddle with the register.

Hanzo’s eye was caught by a little jewelry display at the end of the counter. He moved over to it and spun it around slowly. Tiny cacti and succulents sat in little plastic terrariums dangling from leather necklace cords.

“You like those?”

Hanzo glanced over at Zenyatta, who was watching him hopefully. Hanzo nodded. “They’re lovely.”

“Thank you.” Zenyatta beamed. “I make them myself.”

“Impressive.” Hanzo turned back to the display, surveying it thoughtfully. “Do you have any of the same kind of cactus I’m getting for Jesse? The…?”

“Golden star cactus?”

“Yes.”

“Indeed I do.” Zenyatta spun the display around until he found what he was looking for. With a soft  _aha!_ he plucked a necklace off its hook and presented it to Hanzo.

Hanzo slipped a finger through the cord to take it and caught the little terrarium gently in his other hand. The tiny cactus inside matched the one he’d chosen for Jesse perfectly. “I will take this as well.”

“Wonderful,” Zenyatta said, looking delighted.

And soon, Hanzo was walking out of the mall with the cactus in his hands, the terrarium around his neck, and a smile on his face.

 

***

 

“I’m home!” Genji sang out as Hanzo pushed his wheelchair through the door to their apartment.

Amélie wrinkled her nose and let the door shut behind them. “Are you talking to the apartment?”

“Yes. It missed me.”

Hanzo rolled his eyes. “I’m sure it did.”

Genji sighed happily. “I missed it too. It is good to be home.” He looked around the front room and frowned. “Something is different. What did you do?”

“To be honest,” Amélie said, deadpan, “we thought you were dead for sure. We gave away all your things. Sorry.”

Genji gasped. “Even my _BOYS_ tank top?”

Amélie nodded solemnly, and Hanzo glared at her. “Stop it. That’s not funny.”

“I thought it was,” Amélie said with a smirk.

“But you didn’t really, right?” Genji demanded, and Amélie shook her head. Genji sighed with relief. “Okay, then it was kind of funny. But really. Something is different.”

“We rearranged the furniture,” Hanzo explained. “To make it easier to maneuver the apartment with your wheelchair.”

“Aw, that is so kind! You guys love me.”

“Of course.” Hanzo patted Genji’s head.

Amélie shrugged. “You are okay.” But her smile betrayed her, and she patted Genji’s head too. He preened under the affection.

“I am hungry. Do we have chips and soda?”

“I bought some yesterday, just for you,” Hanzo said, and Genji beamed.

“You love me so much.”

“Don’t push it.” Hanzo guided Genji’s wheelchair into the kitchen and grabbed a new bag of Cheetos Puffs from a cupboard while Amélie pulled three cans of Dr. Pepper out of the fridge.

“Hey, what is that?” Hanzo looked up from opening the bag of Cheetos to see Genji pointing at the kitchen table, where the cactus Hanzo had bought for Jesse was sitting in the center. “Do we have a cactus now?”

“No. It’s Jesse’s birthday present. I bought it a few days ago, but with the timing of my trips to the hospital this week, I’ve been too behind on work to be able to see him and give it to him.”

“You got him a cactus? A living thing? That’s gay. Thanks,” Genji added as Hanzo handed him the Cheetos.

“I am gay.”

“Still.”

“It is very gay,” Amélie agreed, tossing Hanzo a can of soda.

Hanzo caught the can and scowled, but before he could protest, the chorus of “Cotton Eye Joe” blared from his phone in his pocket, making Genji squeak with surprise. Hanzo quickly pulled out his phone.

INCOMING CALL FROM: JESSE <3

“Oh my god, that’s your _ringtone_?” Genji gasped.

“Only for Jesse.”

“That’s even worse!”

“He picked it,” Hanzo muttered, not willing to admit that he actually rather liked it. He took a seat at the kitchen table, as far away from Genji and Amélie as possible while still keeping an eye on them, and answered the call. “Hello, Jesse.”

“Hey, darlin’,” Jesse drawled on the other end of the line, and just the sound of his voice made Hanzo smile. “How you doin’?”

“I’m great. How are you?”

“M’good, better now I’m talkin’ to you. Just felt like hearin’ your voice. Whatcha up to?”

“Amélie and I just got home with Genji. We -- ”

“Are you talking about me?” Genji cut in.“What are you saying?”

“One moment,” Hanzo muttered into the phone before moving the receiver away from his mouth and giving Genji an exasperated look. “You literally heard everything that I said.”

“Tell Jesse hi from me!”

“I will,” Hanzo said, just to placate him. When Genji went back to trying to open his Dr. Pepper while Amélie watched and smirked unhelpfully, Hanzo addressed Jesse again. “Sorry about that.”

“You're all good,” Jesse said with a chuckle. “Guessing he’s already back to his usual self, then?”

“Very much so.”

“Well, I’m glad he’s doin’ okay. You busy tonight?”

“I am,” Hanzo said reluctantly. “I have plans to spend the rest of the day with Genji to celebrate his release, and I thought it would be nice for it to be just the two of us. I’m sorry.”

“Naw, don’t be. It’s totally cool,” Jesse assured him, though he did sound a little disappointed. “That’s way more important. Miss you, though. It’s been too long.”

“It has. I miss you too,” Hanzo murmured, hoping it wasn’t obvious that he was trying to be quiet. If Genji and Amélie heard, they would never let him hear the end of it. “What are you doing tomorrow evening?”

“Nothin’ yet,” Jesse said, perking up again. “What’ve you got in mind?”

“I was thinking we could go to a movie. There’s one I’m interested in, _Avant_ , a French film about a war between humans and robots. What do you think?”

“Anythin’ you want, baby,” Jesse agreed easily. “That sounds cool.”

“Perfect. Can I pick you up at six thirty? We can eat at the theater. The food there is surprisingly good.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Jesus Christ!” Genji yelped, and Hanzo looked over at him with concern. He’d finally managed to get his can open, but it had sprayed all over him. Amélie was doubled over laughing.

Hanzo sighed. “I have to go help Genji,” he said to Jesse.

“Okey doke,” Jesse chuckled. “Good luck. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Yes, I’ll see you then. I lo-- ” Hanzo cut himself off, eyes wide and cheeks immediately hot. “I’ll, uh, talk to you later,” he corrected quickly, and hung up without waiting for a response.

“ _I’ll, uh_ ” was a pretty good cover, he thought. It was fine. It was going to be fine. Eyes closed, he took a deep breath in through his nose and let it out through his mouth before daring to look up at Genji and Amélie.

Genji was already watching him with a huge grin. “I heard that,” he singsonged.

“That was very embarrassing,” Amélie added, looking even more gleeful than she had at Genji’s soda mishap.

Hanzo’s blush returned in full force. “Shut up,” he muttered. “You are both terrible.”

“We know,” Genji said, still grinning. “Anyway, can someone please get me a fucking towel?”

 

***

 

Hanzo arrived at Jesse’s apartment at precisely six thirty the following night. The golden star cactus was in his hands, a red ribbon tied around the pot in a careful bow. He shifted the pot into the crook of one arm to knock at Jesse’s door before clutching it with both hands again.

After a minute Jesse answered the door, already smiling. “Howdy.” His gaze quickly dropped to the cactus in Hanzo’s hands, and he raised his eyebrows. “Whatcha got there?”

Heart pounding rapidly -- _ohgodwhatifhedoesntlikeit_ \-- _toolatenow --_ Hanzo extended the cactus to Jesse. “Happy belated birthday.”

“Aw, you didn’t have to get me -- ”

“But I did,” Hanzo cut him off unintentionally in his nervousness. “I’m sorry that it’s late.” Hanzo pushed the cactus towards Jesse again. “Mammillaria elongata, also known as the golden star cactus. It’s native to Mexico and very resilient,” he said, parroting Zenyatta’s description.

Jesse took the pot in one hand and cupped Hanzo’s face with the other, leaning down to kiss him before pulling back and beaming. “Thank you so much, honey. I love it.”

 _I love you_ , Hanzo thought, but what he said was, “I’m glad.” And he was glad; Jesse seemed to be genuinely pleased and excited by the gift, and Hanzo finally felt able to relax.

“We gotta get goin’ right now, or do you wanna come inside for a minute?”

Hanzo checked his watch. “Hm. We have some time.”

“Great.” Jesse took Hanzo by the hand and tugged him inside, pushing the door shut with his hip. He gave Hanzo another quick kiss, then released him to hold the cactus in both hands, still smiling happily. “Hm. Think I’ll call her Georgie.”

“Georgie?”

“Yeah, she seems like a Georgie, don’t ya think?”

Hanzo tilted his head, considering the cactus. It did seem oddly fitting. “Yes, she does.”

Jesse grinned and set Georgie down on his coffee table. He dropped onto the couch and tugged Hanzo into his lap, wrapping his arms around him and nuzzling against his neck. “Missed you.”

Hanzo kissed the closest part of Jesse that he could reach, which happened to be the tip of his ear. “I missed you too.”

Jesse hummed happily and nudged Hanzo’s chin with his nose. “So how long we got exactly?” he asked, pressing a kiss to the underside of Hanzo’s jaw.

“Not long,” Hanzo sighed. His eyes fell shut as Jesse sucked lightly at his skin. “The movie is at seven fifteen. The theater isn’t too far, but we should leave at quarter till at the latest.”

“Got it.” Jesse pulled back and grinned sheepishly. “Won’t get too carried away, then.”

Hanzo smirked. “Well, we have _some_ time.” He leaned in and kissed Jesse, softly at first. When Jesse slid his hands down to Hanzo’s lower back, Hanzo tilted his head and pressed in closer to deepen the kiss.

Jesse tightened his arms around Hanzo until they were pulled chest to chest, and Hanzo felt a strange bump between their chests. When he realized what it was he gripped Jesse’s shoulders and pushed back abruptly. “Careful.”

Jesse’s brow furrowed, and he put a hand on Hanzo’s chest, right over the bump. He frowned and trailed his fingers up to the collar off Hanzo’s shirt, pushing it aside until he pinched the leather cord around Hanzo’s neck between his fingers. “May I?”

Hanzo nodded, his cheeks warm. Jesse carefully extricated the necklace from underneath Hanzo’s shirt and cradled the little terrarium in his palm, staring at it with wonder. “Is this…?”

Hanzo nodded again. “The same kind of cactus as the one I bought for you. As Georgie,” he corrected, tapping his fingertips against Jesse’s shoulders nervously.

“So you didn’t just buy me a cactus, you bought a teeny matchin’ one for yourself, too?”

“Yes.” Hanzo scrunched his nose a bit with embarrassment, not meeting Jesse’s eyes.

Jesse smiled and let the terrarium drop back against Hanzo’s chest, bringing his hand up to cup Hanzo’s chin instead. “God, if that ain’t the cutest damn thing.” He kissed the tip of Hanzo’s nose, making him smile. “Why’re you embarrassed? You didn’t want me to know you got it?”

Hanzo shrugged. “I thought perhaps it was too cheesy,” he mumbled.

Jesse chuckled. “Nothin’ll ever be too cheesy for me, sweetheart, I promise you that.” He kissed Hanzo’s forehead. “I think it’s real sweet.” A kiss to Hanzo’s cheek. “I love my cactus even more now.” A kiss to his jaw. “You’re amazin’.” A kiss to his chin. “The best boyfriend ever.” He kissed Hanzo on the lips.

Hanzo glowed under the praise and laughed as Jesse peppered light kisses all across his face. Jesse’s beard brushed against his nose, and he jerked away reflexively. “Sorry. That tickled.”

Jesse’s eyes glinted mischievously. “What tickled? This?” He jutted his chin out and rubbed his beard against Hanzo’s nose.

Hanzo squirmed and chuckled breathlessly. “Yes, that.”

Jesse pulled back a bit. “You askin’ me to stop?”

“No.”

“Well, then.” With no warning Jesse threw them both to the side, tackling Hanzo onto his back on the couch. Hanzo yelped, then laughed as Jesse continued to kiss and nuzzle him all over his face and neck.

Hanzo gave back as best he could, kissing anything he could reach -- Jesse’s cheek, his beard, his earlobe, his eyebrow. Finally he managed to capture Jesse’s lips with his own in a sloppy but sweet kiss.

“I’m afraid we need to get going, babe,” Hanzo murmured against Jesse’s mouth.

“Aw, okay.” Jesse pressed a few more quick kisses to his cheeks and nose before pushing up off the couch and pulling Hanzo up with him.

Hanzo could feel that his ponytail had gotten messed up in the tussle; he reached up to fix it. As he did so, Jesse moved closer again and took the dangling terrarium gently between his fingers. He tucked it back into Hanzo’s shirt, then let his hand drag down Hanzo’s chest and to his waist.

Jesse tugged Hanzo closer and gave him a soft kiss. “Thank you, Hanzo.”

Hanzo smiled. “Anything for you.”

Hanzo drove them to the theater in his car, the radio playing quietly in the background while Jesse told him stories about the bus passengers over the past few days. Soon they were inside and waiting in line at the concessions counter.

Jesse draped himself over Hanzo’s shoulders from behind, letting his weight sag against him. Hanzo laughed and held onto Jesse’s arms to make sure he didn’t fall. He started to turn his head back to kiss Jesse, but his eye was caught by a movement in a shadowy corner of the theater.

A man sneezed, covering his face with a hand. His clothes were dark and unassuming; he was almost entirely unnoticeable if he was standing still, which must have been why Hanzo hadn’t noticed him earlier despite his suspicious position.

The man’s hand fell and exposed his face, and Hanzo’s grip on Jesse’s arms faltered. Jesse slipped behind him, but Hanzo didn’t notice.

The last time he’d seen that face had started with a gun pointed at him and had ended with his brother nearly dying.

Now, the man met Hanzo’s eyes and grinned.

“ _Fuck_.”

Jesse caught himself before he could fall and moved to face Hanzo, worried. “What’s wrong?”

“We need to go. Right now.”

“What? Why?”

“I -- ” Hanzo looked around to the corner again. The man was nowhere to be seen. “I will explain in the car. Please, we -- ” He cut himself off, swearing rapidly in Japanese. “We need to leave _now_.” 

“‘Kay, of course.” Though he still looked alarmed, Jesse moved into action quickly. He grabbed Hanzo’s hand and pulled him out of the concessions line, mumbling apologies to the people they narrowly avoided trampling on their way out of the theater.

In the parking lot Hanzo fumbled for his keys, nearly dropping them on the ground. He caught them just in time, and was surprised when both of Jesse’s hands enveloped his. “Baby, let me drive,” Jesse murmured. “You’re shaking.”

Hanzo couldn’t deny that. He nodded wordlessly, allowing Jesse to steer him to the passenger side of his own car and open the door for him.

Once Jesse started the car and began to drive, he reached over and took Hanzo’s hand. Hanzo grasped Jesse’s hand tightly in both of his, letting it anchor him.

“What do you wanna do? Where am I driving?” Jesse asked.

Hanzo could see the concern on Jesse’s face, but he couldn’t bring himself to answer. He shut his eyes and held his tongue hard between his teeth, taking deep breaths through his nose. The sound of the radio, left on from the drive there, was overwhelming. His eyes snapped open and he let go of Jesse with one hand to punch the stereo off.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Jesse glancing at him nervously. “Sweetheart,” Jesse tried again, softer this time. “We’re gonna go through a drive-thru to get some food, and then I’m gonna take you home. Nod if that’s okay?”

Hanzo nodded once. Jesse squeezed his hand gently and switched lanes.

They drove in silence for a few minutes until eventually Hanzo felt able to speak. “The yakuza. The man who…Genji… He was there.”

“The guy who tried to kill Genji was at the theater?”

Hanzo nodded mutely. He shut his eyes again, focusing on the warmth of Jesse’s hand.

“Shit,” Jesse muttered, rubbing his thumb roughly across Hanzo’s palm. “It’ll be okay, honey, I promise. Will you feel safe at home?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, good. How about Genji? He at home?” 

“He had better be.” The doctors at Mercy Medical had instructed Genji to stay home for the next week unless accompanied by Hanzo, but Hanzo wouldn’t put it past him to have gone out anyway in his absence, wheelchair and all. “I should call.”

“Good idea. Ask him if he wants anything from Taco Bell.”

Hanzo nodded and got out his phone. He swiped to his favorited contacts and clicked on Genji’s name. After several agonizing seconds, Genji picked up.

“Anija, why are you bothering me on your date?”

Hanzo breathed a sigh of relief that Genji seemed to be alright, albeit annoyed. He replied in Japanese. “ _Genji, are you at home?_ ”

Genji immediately switched as well. “ _Yes, of course I am. I’m not an idiot. Why? Is something wrong?_ ”

“ _No_.” Thinking back to their conversation in the hospital, Hanzo reluctantly corrected, “ _Yes. The yakuza who...who tried to kill you. He was at the theater. He tailed us_.”

“ _Oh._ ” Genji’s voice was small. “ _Are you okay? Is Jesse okay?_ ” 

“ _Yes, we’re both fine._ ”

“ _Thank god._ ”

“ _We’re heading back to the apartment now. We’ll be there soon. Just...don’t leave_.” 

“ _I wasn’t going to_ ,” Genji huffed indignantly.

“ _Good. Would you like anything from Taco Bell?_ ” 

Genji gasped. “ _Yes, please!_ ”

“ _Alright. Text me what you want. I’ll see you soon._ ”

“ _Okay. Be safe, brother._ ”

The call ended, but Hanzo kept his phone out and switched the volume on to wait for Genji’s text.

Jesse looked over at him. “He okay?”

“Yes, he’s fine. He is very excited about the Taco Bell.” After just a few seconds, Hanzo’s phone chirped twice with Genji’s text tone.

FROM: SHIMADA GENJI  
_i wnat 2 bean &cheese burritos, NO sauce, NO onions!!!!! and extra cheese!!!!!!!! thank u!!_

The second text consisted entirely of emojis Hanzo didn’t bother trying to comprehend. He passed the order on to Jesse as they pulled up to the Taco Bell drive-thru.

Soon enough they were through the coded gates of Hanzo and Genji’s apartment complex, and Hanzo’s gut untwisted a little. Once they were inside the apartment and he saw Genji waiting safely on the couch in the living room he relaxed almost entirely. Almost.

“Hi, aniki. Hi, Jesse. Did you get my burritos?”

“Sure did.” Jesse held up the Taco Bell bags proudly. “You got a real boring order, kid.”

Genji scowled. “I am a picky eater. It’s not my fault.”

Jesse snorted. “Sure. So, uh, which way’s the kitchen?”

“This way.” Hanzo started to lead Jesse out of the room, but Genji interjected quickly.

“Wait! I was thinking we could eat in here while we all watch a movie together. Like a family movie night. Fun, yeah?”

Genji seemed sincerely hopeful and enthusiastic, so Hanzo acquiesced without argument. “Alright. What did you want to watch?”

“ _How To Train Your Dragon_ ,” Genji answered immediately, and Hanzo gave him a grateful smile. It was the movie they always watched when one of them was feeling down. It was kind of Genji to suggest it. 

“Perfect."

 

***

 

The movie was over, the credits rolling and the final score playing softly. Crumpled Taco Bell wrappers littered the table, along with Genji’s unfinished second burrito. On one end of the couch Genji was slumped over the armrest and snoring quietly.

On the other end of the couch Hanzo was curled against Jesse’s side, arms wrapped around his waist and head nestled under his chin. One of Jesse’s hands roamed languidly over Hanzo’s back while he stroked Hanzo’s arm with the other. Eyes closed, Hanzo focused on Jesse: his gentle touch, the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, the familiar lingering scent of cigarillo smoke.

Jesse shifted slightly, and his lips pressed to the top of Hanzo’s head. “Hanz, you awake?” he murmured, his breath moving Hanzo’s hair to tickle his forehead.

“Yes,” Hanzo answered quietly, not wanting to bother Genji. “But this is very comfortable. I’m not moving.”

Jesse chuckled. “You don’t gotta. I was just wonderin’...” He hesitated, and Hanzo nudged his chin with the top of his head to prompt him. Jesse kissed Hanzo’s hair and continued. “How’re you holdin’ up? You feelin’ any better than earlier?”

Hanzo sighed quietly. He’d known he’d have to talk about this with Jesse more at some point, but he still wasn’t looking forward to it. “I am...feeling better,” he said carefully. “It is possible that I overreacted earlier, but under the current circumstances I feel it is wise to be overly cautious.”

“That makes sense,” Jesse said, and Hanzo could feel him nodding. “But whaddya mean, current circumstances? I thought they weren’t buggin’ you anymore.”

Hanzo grimaced. “That is...not entirely true.”

Jesse gripped Hanzo’s waist, tugging at him until he reluctantly pulled back to meet Jesse’s eyes. “What’s goin’ on?” Jesse demanded.

Hanzo turned his head away. “It is nothing.”

Jesse huffed and brought his prosthetic hand up to take Hanzo’s chin and gently turn him back to look at him. “Tell me. Please.”

Hanzo jerked his chin away, a little harder than he meant to. “I need to get Genji to bed,” he said evasively, disentangling himself from Jesse.

Jesse didn’t look happy, but he didn’t object. Hanzo moved over to shake Genji’s shoulder gently. “Genji, wake up.”

Genji groaned and scrunched his face up without opening his eyes. “No.”

“We need to move you to your bed or you’ll hate me tomorrow.”

“I would never hate you, aniki. Never ever.”

Hanzo smiled fondly. Genji got strangely sentimental when he was sleepy. “Come. Arm around me.” He guided Genji’s good arm to settle around his shoulders and scooped Genji into his arms.

Genji’s casts made him a little heavier than usual, but Hanzo was still able to carry him into his room and tuck him into bed without any trouble. Once Genji was settled and already beginning to snore again, Hanzo smoothed his hair down and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Jesse was still sitting in the same spot on the couch, a deep scowl on his face. Warily, Hanzo sat back down a short space away. He briefly considered taking off his shirt to try and distract Jesse, but decided that was probably a little cheap.

Jesse spoke first. “So you’re bein’ threatened again.” His voice was low and dangerous. “When did that start up?”

Hanzo winced. He didn’t want to lie to Jesse, he never wanted to lie to Jesse, but he also didn’t want to worry or upset him. He pulled his legs up onto the couch and wrapped his arms around his knees. “Technically, it never stopped,” he answered cautiously.

“ _What_?” When Hanzo didn’t respond, Jesse pressed, “It’s been happenin’ all this time? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Hanzo just shrugged, not meeting Jesse’s eyes, and Jesse exhaled sharply. “Hanzo. Fuck. I need to… I’ll be right back.”

Without another word, Jesse stood and left the apartment. The door slammed shut behind him.

Hanzo groaned and slumped over on the couch, laying across it with an arm thrown over his eyes. Why was this happening? He had an amazing boyfriend and a great job; his brother was alive and awake and home. Everything should be good. All he’d wanted was a nice evening out with Jesse. Instead he’d gotten this.

A short while later Hanzo heard the apartment door open, letting in the cool night air and the scent of smoke. He didn’t move from where he was sprawled across the couch, nor did he remove his arm from his face.

Footsteps moved closer and stopped beside him. Two hands, one flesh and one metal, gently gripped his shoulders. “I’m gonna scooch here underneath ya, honey,” Jesse said quietly before lifting Hanzo’s torso up and sliding onto the couch beneath him. He carefully lowered Hanzo back down until his head was resting in his lap.

Hanzo finally removed his arm from his eyes and squinted up at Jesse. “Sorry. I could have moved.”

“Nah, I like this.” Jesse draped one arm across Hanzo’s chest and used his other hand to carefully pull out Hanzo’s hair ribbon. He laid it across the arm of the couch and began to stroke his fingers through Hanzo’s loose hair, the metal of his fingertips cool when they brushed Hanzo’s forehead.

“Me too,” Hanzo murmured, bringing a hand up to hold Jesse’s on his chest. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath, readying himself for whatever Jesse had to say.

When Jesse spoke, it was as soft as his fingers in Hanzo’s hair. “I wanna know what’s goin’ on. I know you don’t wanna tell me, and I get that. But you gotta give me somethin’, sugar.”

Hanzo didn’t say anything. Jesse sighed and kept going. “I was thinkin’, maybe instead of me just askin’ you in general what the fresh hell is goin’ on, I could just ask you some specific questions. Make it easier. How’s that sound?”

Hanzo scrunched up his face. “Fine.”

“Okay.” Jesse bent over to kiss Hanzo on the forehead before straightening back up. “So, uh. The yakuza are after you?”

“Yes. You know that.”

“Yeah, I know. Just wanted to make sure the system was calibrated,” Jesse said, tapping Hanzo on the nose.

Hanzo snorted. “Next question.”

“Glad to see you’re warmin’ up to talkin’ about it,” Jesse said, and Hanzo rolled his eyes. “Alright. So, they want you to come back to Japan and resume your yakuza leadership type stuff, right?”

“Yes.”

“Will they hurt you?”

“They haven’t yet, but it’s not out of the question.”

“And they’ll hurt other people to try and get to you, like Genji?”

Hanzo grimaced. “Technically, they shouldn’t. Genji is a civilian now, and yakuza aren’t supposed to kill civilians. But the man who tried to kill him -- the man we saw tonight -- apparently doesn’t care about that.”

“Yikes,” Jesse murmured. “They don’t know where you live, do they? You said you feel safe here.”

“No, I’m certain that they know. But they haven’t ever attempted to confront me here, so it seems to be off limits.”

“Gotcha.” Jesse kept stroking his fingers through Hanzo’s hair as he considered his next question. “Y’gone to the police?”

“No.”

“Are you gonna?”

Hanzo shook his head quickly. “Definitely not.” 

“Why not?”

“It’s the yakuza. What am I supposed to tell the American police? They would hardly be helpful.”

“Fair enough,” Jesse muttered. “Guess back in the day I wouldn’t have really wanted to go to the police, either.” Jesse talked about his past even less often than Hanzo talked about his; even such a small mention was rare. Hanzo squeezed his hand comfortingly.

“But there ain’t anyone else you can go to about it? No, like, yakuza police or somethin’?”

Hanzo snorted. “No. No yakuza police.”

“Damn.” Jesse suddenly groaned loudly and clenched his hands. They tightened both in Hanzo’s hair and around his hand. “Fuck, I just. I can’t believe this is happenin’. That it’s happenin’ to you. I fucking hate them.”

His voice sounded harsher than Hanzo had ever heard it. Hanzo looked up to see Jesse biting his lip hard, brows drawn down in anger.

Hanzo laughed hollowly. “So do I. Believe me.” He shut his eyes and pressed his head up against Jesse’s hand, urging him to go back to playing with his hair.

Jesse loosened his grip on Hanzo’s hand and hair and obligingly resumed his stroking. “Wish you’d pointed ‘im out to me back at the theater,” he said. His voice was still rough with anger, a sharp contrast from his gentle touch. “I woulda loved to give ‘em a piece of my mind.”

Hanzo sat up suddenly and whirled on Jesse. “Jesse. Do you not understand why I’m so upset?”

Jesse looked alarmed and confused. “Uh, I thought so. Ain’t it because, y’know, the yakuza are after you?”

Hanzo huffed with frustration. “No. I mean, that’s not ideal, but I expected it and was prepared for it, and have been dealing with it for quite some time. I’m confident that I could continue to do so with little trouble. However.” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers to gather his thoughts.

“What is _not_ okay with me is them coming after the people I love. I thought I was the only one at risk, but obviously that isn’t the case anymore. They already tried to kill my brother. If they came for him again, or if they did anything to hurt you…” Hanzo’s gut twisted. “That is why I was so panicked earlier. Seeing the man who nearly killed Genji… It was upsetting, to say the least. And seeing them while I was with you… I suppose I realized for the first time how likely it is that they know about you and will try and hurt you.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Jesse began hotly, but Hanzo shook his head violently.

“I will worry about you. So long as they are after me, and you are connected to me, you’re not safe.”

Jesse huffed. “‘Kay, fine, you can worry about me. But I’m gonna worry about you too. And none o’ that cliché breakin’-up-to-throw-off-the-bad-guys shit, alright? Not even fake breakin’ up.”

Hanzo reached over to take Jesse’s hand again. “I would never.”

“Good.” Jesse looked relieved. “And you know you can tell me anything, right? I’m your boyfriend. I’m here for you, no matter what.”

“I know,” Hanzo murmured, but Jesse kept going.

“I’d do anythin’ for you. I’d kick anyone’s ass for you. I know you wouldn’t need me too, you could probably kick my ass, but I’d do it. If those douchebags come near you again I’ll fucking -- ”

“Jesse,” Hanzo interjected, alarmed. “Do not even _consider_ engaging them. I appreciate the sentiment, but you are hardly a match for trained yakuza agents.”

Jesse huffed, but settled back a bit. “Doesn’t matter. Passion is stronger than training. Pretty sure that’s a saying.”

“I don’t think it is, Jess.”

“You don’t know every saying,” Jesse protested. Hanzo rolled his eyes, and Jesse sighed. “Sorry, darlin’. I’m just all riled up. Bein’ tired don’t help, either. I should probably get home to bed. Sleep on it.”

Hanzo tilted his head. “Would you like to stay the night?”

Jesse ran a hand through his hair. “You sure you want me to, after all this?”

“Absolutely.” Hanzo leaned over to kiss Jesse on the cheek. “I know it may not seem like it, but your being here is helping me. If not for you I would likely be shut down in my room,” Hanzo admitted. “Just so you know. Thank you.”

Jesse laughed. “You’re sure right it don’t seem like it. Feel like I’ve just made things worse. But if you say it helps, I’m glad.”

“It does,” Hanzo said firmly. He stood and pulled at Jesse’s hand. “Let’s go to bed.”

In Hanzo’s room he retrieved pajamas for them both, and they quickly stripped and changed. The borrowed pajamas were much too short and tight for Jesse, and Hanzo stifled a laugh as they both climbed into his bed.

Hanzo lay with his back to Jesse. Jesse curled behind Hanzo, one arm wrapped snugly around his waist and the other stretched out beneath him, holding his hand.

Jesse nuzzled against the back of Hanzo’s neck. “Hanzo. I…” He trailed off.

Hanzo’s heart sped up. “Yes?”

Jesse sighed and kissed Hanzo’s shoulder. “You mean everythin’ to me.”

Hanzo gripped Jesse’s hand and brought it up, pressing his lips softly to Jesse’s knuckles. “And you to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOO BOY!!!! we did it. i had both a lot of struggles and a lot of fun writing this chapter and i'm happy with how it turned out, i hope you are too!
> 
> [jesse's cactus georgie](http://bit.ly/2exggEh)  
> [hanzo's cactus necklace](http://etsy.me/2eooiQH)
> 
> thank you [brenna](http://butchlesbiankillian.tumblr.com) as always for being the amazing ultimate beta/genius and helping me turn a pile of gross fluff and bad jokes into something worth reading
> 
> thank you [paige](http://twitter.com/patchworkroyal) for basically plotting this chapter, choosing the cacti and the movie they didn't see, and giving me unwavering support and advice such as "just...do it better LOL"
> 
> and THANK YOU to the people who have drawn art of crossroads?????? there've been 3 i think just since the last update and i am overwhelmed honestly it's like the coolest thing to ever happen to me!!! if you guys haven't seen all this yet PLEASE check em out!!  
> the ["fuck my brother"](http://szaszart.tumblr.com/post/151486956890/a-scene-from-brill-mchanzo-fic-called-crossroads) scene in chapter 7, drawn by [szaszart](http://szaszart.tumblr.com)!!  
> [various scenes](http://bit.ly/2e4ZqyD) including the post-life is a highway makeout in chapter 6, drawn by [somethingsweet38](http://somethingsweet38.tumblr.com)!!  
> [sleepy bus cuddles](http://bit.ly/2dRYlZ9) drawn by [yandereycat](http://yandereycat.tumblr.com/)!!
> 
> thanks for reading!! <3
> 
> tumblr: [@sodawife](http://sodawife.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [@GENJAMlN](http://twitter.com/genjamln)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo my dudes stay safe stay hydrated remember to eat and take your meds i love u all  
> hover over the spanish for translations!

Jesse paced back and forth in his living room, his phone in his hand. He’d been thinking all day, ever since Hanzo had driven him home that morning and kissed him like he was afraid of losing him. He had an idea. But he knew Hanzo wasn’t going to like it.

He’d actually had the idea last night, when he’d held a sleeping Hanzo close to him, unable to sleep himself. He’d buried his face in Hanzo’s hair and breathed deep, letting the familiar scent calm him, anchor him. He would do anything for Hanzo, absolutely anything, and he hated that he was so helpless in this. But as he’d pressed soft kisses to Hanzo’s hair, he’d realized that there might be something he could do after all.

As Jesse walked past his coffee table for the eleventh time that minute, his eye was caught by a flash of red -- the ribbon tied around Georgie’s pot. She sat where he’d set her down yesterday in the center of the coffee table. He hadn’t taken the ribbon off, and didn’t know if he ever would. He liked it too much.

He had to do it.

With a groan of resignation, Jesse dropped onto the couch, opened his favorited contacts, and clicked on Hanzo’s name.

It only took a few seconds before Hanzo picked up. “Good afternoon, Jesse.”

Jesse immediately smiled at the sound of Hanzo’s voice. “Hey there. How are ya?”

Hanzo sighed quietly, and Jesse imagined he was shrugging. “As good as can be expected, I suppose. And you?”

“Fine, I’m fine.” Jesse slumped down on the couch and kicked his feet up onto the coffee table, making sure not to knock Georgie over. “Just had somethin’ I wanted to talk to you about. Well, guess I wouldn’t say I _want_ to, but I gotta.”

“What is it?” Hanzo asked, sounding wary.

“Well, I...had an idea about the whole, y’know, yakuza thing.”

“Jesse. No.”

“Darlin’ -- ”

“I told you that I didn’t want you involved. I meant that. There is nothing you can do.” There was a fierce finality to his words.

“I know, baby, I know,” Jesse said quickly, soothingly, in an attempt to keep Hanzo calm. “I’m not gonna do anythin’ stupid, promise. Will you just hear me out? Please?” He was ready to beg if that was what it took to get Hanzo to listen to him long enough to consider it.

Hanzo sighed, and when he spoke again his voice was softer. “Of course. I’m sorry, babe, I’m just…”

“On edge?” Jesse suggested.

Hanzo huffed quietly. “To say the least. What is your idea?”

“Right. Well, I know there ain’t anythin’ I can do to help, but I might know someone who can. Gabe.”

“Gabriel? Your boss?”

“Yep. You know how I told you he was the one who helped me out of a bad spot when I was younger?” Hanzo hummed his affirmation, and Jesse continued, “I think maybe he could help you out too.”

“How so?”

“He’s got some…” Jesse trailed off and rubbed a hand over his face. “Well. It’s a long story. You still good to go to the bar tonight?”

“Yes, I was planning on it.”

“If you want, I could come over a little earlier than I was gonna and I can tell you more about it. Then, if you decide it’s what you wanna do, we can talk to Gabe at the bar. How’s that sound?”

Hanzo was silent for a few moments, considering. Then, finally: “Alright. You can tell me, and I will think about it.”

Jesse breathed out a sigh of relief. “Great. I mean, I can’t promise you anythin’ at this point, other than that I’m gonna try my damndest to help you get all this shit sorted out.”

“Thank you, Jesse,” Hanzo said quietly, and Jesse couldn’t help smiling to himself.

“Anythin’ for you, sweetheart. I’ll come by ‘round seven thirty, then?”

“Okay. I will see you then.”

“Alrighty. See you soon.”

Hanzo hummed quietly. “Goodbye, Jesse.”

The call ended, and Jesse sank further into the couch and sighed with hopeful relief. Maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to help Hanzo out after all.

A few hours later found Jesse knocking on the door to Hanzo’s apartment. Loud music was coming from inside the apartment, and over the noise Jesse could hear Genji yell, “Aniki! Door!”

A few seconds later and the door swung open, immediately increasing the volume of the music from _loud_ to _deafening_. Hanzo stood in the doorway, looking a little frazzled and a lot tired, but he smiled when he saw Jesse.

Jesse smiled back. “Hiya, honey.”

“Hi.” Hanzo stepped forward and slipped his arms around Jesse’s waist, hugging him tightly. Jesse happily reciprocated.

“Disgusting!” came Genji’s voice from within the apartment. “Get a room!”

Hanzo pulled back quickly and made a face. Jesse just laughed and let Hanzo pull him into the apartment, and he kicked the door closed behind them. Genji was on the couch, surrounded by junk food, and it looked like he was trying to play a video game one-handed. The sound effects of the game could barely be heard over the music coming from the speakers all around the room.

“Hi hi, Jesse,” Genji said without looking away from the TV. “Please do not kiss my brother in front of me. I am innocent and impressionable.”

Hanzo snorted. “Good one, Genji.” Genji briefly lifted his middle finger from his Xbox controller in Hanzo’s direction before cursing and returning to what looked an awful lot like random button smashing.

Jesse decided to ignore Genji’s request. He didn’t want to make any promises he wasn’t sure he could keep. “Got any fun plans tonight, Genji?”

Genji immediately brightened and paused his game, turning to face Jesse with a pleased smile. “Yes! Amélie and I are going out in just a little bit. I am very excited. It will be my first night out since I almost died.”

Jesse shot a surreptitious concerned look at Hanzo, but he seemed relatively unaffected. Genji must’ve been playing up the whole _almost died_ thing a lot if it had already stopped bothering Hanzo. “Yeah, uh, that sounds fun.”

“Do not worry. I am sure you two will have fun with whatever drab thing you are doing, too,” Genji said with an airy wave of his hand before returning to his game.

Hanzo rolled his eyes. “Come, Jesse.” He took Jesse’s hand and led him down the hallway to his bedroom, shutting the door behind them and dulling the sound of Genji’s music somewhat. 

Hanzo sat down crosslegged on his bed and gestured for Jesse to join him. When he did, Hanzo plucked up Jesse’s hat and placed it on his own head before putting a hand on Jesse’s shoulder and tugging him down until his head was in his lap.

Jesse gazed up at Hanzo with wonder. Even upside-down, he was so goddamn beautiful. And he looked real fucking good in Jesse’s hat, too. Hanzo smiled down at him softly, and Jesse couldn’t resist reaching up to put a hand on his cheek. Hanzo’s smile widened and he leaned down to kiss Jesse, their lips slotting together comfortably in the upside-down position. Hanzo’s goatee tickled Jesse’s nose, and he chuckled into the kiss.

After a moment Hanzo pulled back. Jesse’s hat fell forward over his eyes, and he grunted surprise. “I did not realize how big your hat is,” he said as he reached up to adjust it.

Jesse chuckled. “Well, y’know what they say about men with big hats.”

Hanzo raised an eyebrow. “Big heads?”

“No -- well, yeah. But I was gonna say big dicks.”

Hanzo rolled his eyes. “They don’t say that.”

“Well. I still have a big dick.”

Hanzo’s face turned red, and he looked away. “True,” he muttered. Jesse grinned.

“Anyway, darlin’, you know I’d love to just lay here in bed with you all night, but I do believe we have some things to discuss.”

“Yes, we do.” Hanzo looked back to Jesse, his expression becoming more serious and expectant.

“I, uh.” Jesse scrubbed at his beard and sighed. “Not really sure where to start, to be honest with you.”

“Will you tell me more about this?” Hanzo leaned forward a bit to tap gently at Jesse’s prosthetic arm.

“Sure. Guess that’s about as good a place as any.” Hanzo’s fingers began to move through Jesse’s hair, and he hummed with appreciation and settled comfortably against Hanzo’s thigh as he thought about what to say. It’d been so long since he’d talked about this. It wasn’t something he liked talking about to people who didn’t already know. But Hanzo deserved to know.

“So, I told ya before that when I was younger I was mixed up in some bad shit. I was...in a gang. The Deadlock Gang, it was called. Real nasty buncha folk, and I ain’t proud of it or what I did while I was with ‘em.”

He paused when the fingers in his hair began to tug in a different way, and he craned his head back to look up at Hanzo questioningly. “Whatcha doin’ back there?”

“Braiding your hair.”

“Never had my hair braided before."

Hanzo hummed. “You’ve been missing out. It’s very cute.”

“Y’think so?”

“Yes. Go on.”

“Oh, right. Well, so yeah, I was doin’ bad shit with bad people. Mostly petty crime, theft and the like, but some more serious stuff too. I was doin’ a job with them when I…” Jesse swallowed. “When I lost my arm.”

“What happened?” Hanzo prompted quietly.

Jesse closed his eyes and sighed. “I was seventeen. We were pullin’ a heist on a jewelry store. One of the guys set off a bomb in the wrong spot, brought the building down. I got trapped in the debris. Pinned by my left arm.”

Hanzo’s fingers worked their way gently through Jesse’s hair, and he tried to focus on that while he kept going. “That’s where Gabe found me. ‘Bout an hour later. Worst hour of my fucking life,” he said with an attempt at a laugh that came out hollow. “He pulled me out, took me to the hospital. Arm was crushed. _Irreparably and irreversibly_ , they said. Had to be amputated.”

Jesse blew out a harsh breath. “Went a coupla years without a left arm before I was able to get this bad boy.” He waved his prosthetic in the air half-heartedly. “That was when Gabe got me my belt buckle too, like I told ya.”

“Yes, I remember,” Hanzo murmured, brushing soothing fingertips across Jesse’s forehead.

“Anyway, turned out Gabe worked for Blackwatch, a government black ops organization sent to take down Deadlock. He...he let me go, though. Said I was just a kid.” Jesse chuckled. “Made me real mad at the time. Told him I was a goddamn adult. He was just like -- ” He switched into a well-practiced imitation of Gabe’s accent and raspy voice. “‘Sure, kid. Talk to me again when you got more than two hairs in your goatee.’”

Hanzo laughed softly. “I would like to see what you looked like when you were younger.”

“Yeah?” Jesse smiled up at him. “I’ll show you pictures sometime. I wanna see some of you, too. Were you always this good-lookin’?”

“Yes,” Hanzo said with a smug little smile. “I will show you pictures as well. Anyway, please continue.”

“Right. Well, like I said, I was just seventeen, so Gabe was right about me bein’ just a kid. He talked me into tellin’ him more about my, y’know, situation. I think he woulda adopted me on the spot if he could, but as it was he got me into the best home for at-risk kids he could find. That probably saved my life,” Jesse admitted. “I felt so indebted to him I ended up givin’ him some intel that helped him take down Deadlock once and for all, even though he didn’t push me for it.”

Jesse laughed a little. “Took me years to stop feelin’ indebted to him, actually. He just kept helpin’ and helpin’, and no matter what I did I just couldn’t keep up. Drove me crazy. Finally he told me to get my head out of my ass and just accept that I was like a son to him and he was gonna take care of me whether I was a dick about it or not, so I might as well spare us all the trouble and get used to it.”

Hanzo chuckled. “Gabriel sounds like a good man." 

“He is. Always has been, always will be. I met Jack and Ana ‘round then, too. They worked for the government with Gabe, but in a different division. Gabe and Jack were newlyweds then,” Jesse added, thinking back fondly to the way Gabe would always get so excited when he said the words _my husband_.

“Eventually they all left or got shut down, and they decided to start up the bus company together. Gabe asked me to join, and Ana brought Fareeha in when she was old enough, too. I got Angie her job there after I met her. We’ve all been real close for a real long time." 

Jesse let out a long, low whistle. “And, well. That’s pretty much the story, I guess.”

Hanzo cupped Jesse’s face in his hands and leaned down to give him another upside-down kiss. “Thank you for telling me, Jess.”

Jesse smiled softly and flicked the brim of his hat up so he could see Hanzo better. “Thanks for listenin’. I’m glad you know.”

“As am I. I am…” Hanzo frowned. “I am not seeing how Gabriel could help with the yakuza, though. If they all stopped working for the government.”

“Oh! Right.” Jesse’d gotten so caught up giving his own life story for the first time in nearly a decade that he’d almost forgotten the reason he’d had to talk about it in the first place. He sat up with a reluctant groan and scooted back until he was beside Hanzo and could scoop him into his arms. Hanzo made a little pleased noise and kissed Jesse’s jaw, and Jesse took a minute to make sure they were both settled comfortably before he continued.

“So, like I said, they all stopped workin’ for the government officially a long time ago. But Blackwatch works a little different there, far as I understand -- Gabe’s never told me much, says he doesn’t want me involved, so I just know bits and pieces. He doesn’t technically work for them anymore, but he still works _with_ them sometimes. He’s got some pull. And I know he’s done shit before to help shut down sketchy operations and the like.

“So I think he could help shut this down. I don’t know too many specifics so I can’t say for sure. But I definitely think it’s at least worth askin’ him about, if you’re willing.”

Hanzo was silent. Jesse watched him, the way he worried his bottom lip between his teeth, the way one of his eyes squinted a little more than the other while he thought.

Finally he spoke, his voice full of reluctance. “Very well. Let’s speak to Gabriel.”

“Great,” Jesse sighed, relieved. “I promise you won’t regret it. Gabe’s a good man. I’d trust him with my life.”

“Then I will trust him too,” Hanzo said decisively.

Jesse ducked beneath the cowboy hat to give Hanzo a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, sweetheart.”

Hanzo smiled, then cocked his head. “Was that the door opening?”

Jesse strained to hear over the continued sound of Genji’s music and video game. “Hard to s-- ”

“Amé!” Genji shouted excitedly.

Hanzo sighed. “Yes, that would be Amélie coming to pick Genji up. I’d better check on them before they leave.”

He slid out of his bed, and Jesse followed him out of his bedroom and back into the living room, where Genji was still furiously smashing at his controller one-handedly. A woman was standing next to him, watching his game with her arms folded. “Fucking Stormcloaks,” Genji was grumbling. The woman nodded understandingly.

When she turned around, Jesse recognized her as Hanzo’s assistant -- the one who’d helped him with his _fashion emergency_ for their first official date. She looked Hanzo up and down with a raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Nice hat.”

“Oh, whoops, uh, that’s mine,” Jesse cut in with a sheepish chuckle, reaching to take his hat back from Hanzo only for Hanzo to step out of his reach and pull the hat more firmly onto his head.

“I beg your pardon, but I am wearing this,” Hanzo said, his tone serious but his eyes amused. “I do not think it is appropriate for you to undress me in front of my employee and my younger brother.”

“Ew! Ew, ew, ew,” Genji shouted, pausing his game and flinging his hands up to cover his eyes. “Absolutely unacceptable. Thank god you are here to rescue me, Amé. It’s like, lame gay hell over here right now.”

“Are we not on our way to a club right now?”

“Yeah, but that’s more like, cool bisexual hell.”

She tilted her head as if to say, _Fair enough_ , and turned her attention to Jesse for the first time since entering the apartment. “Lovely to see you again, Mister McCree.”

“You too, uh. Amélie, right?” Jesse tried, positive he’d absolutely butchered the fancy French name. She politely said nothing about it, just nodded. “You can just call me Jesse, by the way. No need for all that _mister_ nonsense." 

Amélie nodded again. “Very well, Jesse.”

“Alright, Amé, let’s go!” Genji was trying very hard to get himself off the couch and into his wheelchair. He’d almost managed it, but Amélie graciously helped him the rest of the way, then leaned over to say something in his ear. Genji snorted and replied in what sounded like shoddy French, though Jesse wasn’t one to judge.

“What are you saying?” Hanzo demanded.

“Nothing,” Genji said, his eyes widening with feigned innocence.

Hanzo turned to Jesse with a sigh. “They’re always doing this,” he said, and Jesse tried to focus on him instead of the obscene gesture Genji was making at him behind Hanzo’s back while Amélie looked on and positively _grinned_. “Genji takes one semester of French to try and get laid, and suddenly, _this_.”

“It is nothing.” Amélie smirked and pushed Genji to the door. “Have fun in _lame gay hell_ ,” she said breezily as she passed Jesse, and he tried not to scowl.

“Be careful with him,” Hanzo said. “Genji, make sure you keep your phone on so I can reach you.”

Genji rolled his eyes. “I am your adult brother, not your child. I am not fragile.”

“Your recent medical records indicate otherwise,” Hanzo said with a pointed look at the variety of casts and bandages Genji still sported. Genji stuck out his tongue.

“Yes, yes, I will take good care of him, bichette,” Amélie said, reaching out to flick the brim of Jesse’s hat farther down on Hanzo’s head. He wrinkled his nose, but sighed and opened the door.

“Later, nerds,” Genji called as Amélie pushed him through the door. Hanzo scowled and shut the door behind them.

“I do not think he should be going to a club this soon after waking up from a _coma_ ,” Hanzo muttered.

Jesse grimaced sympathetically. “Couldn’t get ‘im to stay home for another week or somethin’?”

“I tried, but it is pointless,” Hanzo said with a sigh. “I was lucky he agreed to stay in the past two nights, but it’s Friday night. He would go out whether or not I knew about it, and I would rather know about it. And Amélie is...relatively responsible. He will be fine.”

“I’m sure he will,” Jesse said soothingly. He stepped closer to Hanzo and put his hands on his waist, smiling when Hanzo lifted his hands to rest them on Jesse’s chest. “So. Can I have my hat back now?”

Hanzo heaved a dramatic sigh. “I suppose.” He removed the hat and replaced it crookedly on Jesse’s head, then leaned up to kiss Jesse before pulling back. “Do I have hat hair?”

Jesse was used to having hat hair pretty much constantly, but he inspected Hanzo’s hair carefully, and when he saw that his ponytail had gone a little lopsided, he admitted, “Maybe a little." 

Hanzo grimaced. “Then I will fix it, and after that I will be ready to go.”

“Sounds good, darlin’.”

After shutting off the music and video game Genji had left on, Hanzo led Jesse back into his bedroom. Hanzo went into the bathroom but left the door open, and Jesse lingered in the doorway, watching the way Hanzo’s brow creased and his lips pursed in concentration as his fingers rewrapped the ribbon around his hair in swift, deft movements.

After a moment, Hanzo tied off the ribbon and turned to face Jesse with an eyebrow raised. “I would ask if there is something on my face, but I am fairly confident there is not,” he said, gesturing towards the mirror. “What is it?”

Jesse chuckled sheepishly at being caught in his staring. “Nothin’. You’re just real handsome, s’all.”

Hanzo smiled and moved over to Jesse, reaching up to cup his face in his hands. Jesse happily wrapped his arms around Hanzo’s waist.

“Jesse…” Hanzo paused. “What is your middle name?”

“Jebediah.”

Hanzo laughed. “Jesse Jebediah. Adorable.”

“Yup. Wanna know a secret?” Hanzo nodded, and Jesse leaned down until their noses touched. “I went by JJ when I was a kid,” he whispered.

Hanzo’s eyes widened almost comically. “God. That’s so fucking _cute_ ,” he whispered. Jesse laughed, and Hanzo kissed him, then pulled back just barely to look him intently in the eyes, still cupping his face gently.

“Jesse Jebediah McCree,” Hanzo said, very seriously. “You are the handsomest man I have ever laid eyes on.”

Jesse could feel his face immediately turn beet red. “Aw, shucks, honey,” he mumbled, rubbing his nose embarrassedly against Hanzo’s. “Y’flatter me.”

“I am telling the truth.” Hanzo kissed Jesse. “You are the most gorgeous, wonderful -- ”

“No, _you’re_ the most gorgeous an’ wonderful -- ”

Hanzo cut Jesse off by kissing him again. “We are not doing this,” he said with a laugh. “Just let me tell you that you are gorgeous and wonderful.”

Jesse scrunched up his face. “Fine, if you gotta.”

“I do.” Hanzo schooled his expression to look at Jesse seriously again. “Jesse Jebediah McCree, you are the most gorgeous, wonderful man I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and I am lucky to have you in my life.”

“ _Hanzo_ ,” Jesse whined, squeezing his arms tighter around Hanzo. “You’re gonna kill me, sayin’ sweet stuff like that.”

“I think you will survive,” Hanzo said with a self-satisfied smile.

“Nope. I’m dyin’.” Jesse staggered over to his bed, pulling Hanzo with him. He swayed dramatically collapsed on his back on the bed with Hanzo squarely on top of him. “Oh, Jesus. This was a mistake.”

“Why? Am I squishing you?”

“Naw, it’s just...now I don’t wanna get up,” Jesse admitted with a chuckle, rubbing a hand up and down Hanzo’s back.

Hanzo smirked. “Well. We don’t _have_ to get up yet.” He leaned down to capture Jesse’s mouth in a hot, messy kiss.

“We’re going to be late,” Jesse mumbled, even as one of his hands made its way down to Hanzo’s ass.

Hanzo pulled back just enough to give Jesse a searching look. “I don’t care if you don’t.”

Without hesitation, Jesse grinned and pulled him back in.

 

***

 

They were half an hour late.

“Wasn’t sure if you guys were coming,” Fareeha said as she waved them over.

“Oh, we were definitely coming,” Hanzo said under his breath, and Jesse choked on his own spit.

He coughed into his sleeve as he followed Hanzo into the booth, Hanzo looking concerned and smug all at once.

“You okay there, Jess?” Fareeha questioned.

Still coughing and wheezing, Jesse tried his best to nod convincingly. Hanzo gave him a sympathetic pat on the back.

“Well, I’m glad you guys are here. Otherwise it was just gonna be me and all these old folks,” Fareeha said, jerking her head towards the other occupants of the booth -- just Ana, Gabe, Jack, and Reinhardt, as usual for a regular occasion.

Gabe scowled. “Watch that mouth, kid. You don’t get to call me old till you beat me in an arm wrestling match.”

“I’m going to soon,” Fareeha assured him. “I’ve been working out. Soon I’m gonna crush you, old man.”

Gabe huffed, but looked more proud than displeased. He tugged Jack up out of his seat and away, and several minutes later they came back with a round of drinks.

Jesse was surprised when Hanzo reached for a beer. “You drinkin’ this time?”

Hanzo grimaced. “Yes. I think I need to, to be able to...you know. If you don’t mind driving afterwards.”

“Not at all,” Jesse replied. Hanzo threw his head back, and Jesse admired his Adam’s apple as he took a long swig and swallowed.

A couple of beers later, Hanzo nudged Jesse. “When can we talk to Gabriel?” he mumbled. “I would like to get it over with as soon as possible.”

“Oh, yeah. Sure thing, darlin’.” Jesse raised his voice in Gabe’s direction. “Oiga, jefe.”

“¿Qué pasó?” Gabe replied without looking up from his beer.

“¿Podemos hablar con usted?”

At Jesse’s use of the formal address -- something he’d stopped doing regularly years ago -- Gabe immediately looked up. He frowned a little as he glanced back and forth between Jesse and Hanzo. “¿Los dos?”

Jesse glanced over at Hanzo, who looked very nervous, and squeezed his hand reassuringly before replying. “Sí.”

Gabe eyed them for another long second, then nodded sharply. “Claro.” He leaned over to say something in Jack’s ear, then stood and jerked his head towards an unoccupied corner of the bar. Jesse followed him over with Hanzo in tow.

Gabe folded his arms across his chest. “So what’s up?” he asked, returning to English for Hanzo’s benefit now that they were out of earshot of the others.

Hanzo didn’t say anything right away, so Jesse nudged him gently with his elbow. Finally Hanzo sighed. “I have...a problem,” he said with obvious reluctance. “Jesse believes you may be able to help me with it.”

“Lemme guess -- yakuza?”

Hanzo’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”

“Might’ve looked into you a little bit.”

“Aw, c’mon, for real?” Jesse said with a scowl.

Gabe shrugged. “Had pretty good reason to. Saw the tattoo last time you boys came ‘round. Ain’t exactly subtle, are you?” he said, raising an eyebrow at Hanzo.

Hanzo turned a little bit red. “I did not think it would be an issue,” he muttered.

“Not really an issue. I’d bet I’m about the only one who recognized it, other than maybe Ana. Jack didn’t, but that’s no surprise.”

Hanzo looked a little relieved at that, and Jesse rubbed a thumb across the back of his hand comfortingly. “So you already know what is going on, then?” Hanzo asked.

“Not in full. It’s pretty under wraps, and I didn’t see much reason to dig too deep. But I know you deserted the Shimada clan about a year ago and that they’re willing to do just about anything to get you back. Sound about right?”

“Impressive,” Hanzo said, sounding only a little begrudging. “For a while now, yakuza agents have been attempting to bribe or threaten me into returning. They nearly killed my younger brother. And just last night, they were tailing Jesse and me.”

His grip on Jesse’s hand tightened. “I would not ask anything for myself, but I will do anything to protect those I care about. For my brother.” Hanzo looked up at Jesse, and his voice grew softer. “For Jesse.” The look in Hanzo’s eyes was fierce yet tender, so tender, and as Jesse gazed down at him he felt like he was drowning in it.

Gabe cleared his throat, and Jesse reluctantly tore his gaze away from Hanzo, who looked a little flustered. Hanzo cleared his throat as well. “Can you help me?” He paused, then added, almost desperately, “Please.”

Gabe looked back and forth between the two of them for a couple seconds before shrugging and nodding. “I’ll see what I can do. Don’t wanna make you any promises yet, but I should be able to figure something out."

Hanzo nodded. “Thank you,” he said, his face utterly serious. “I am in your debt.”

Gabe looked vaguely uncomfortable. “Yeah,” he grunted, and pulled his hood up. “I’ll be in touch.”

“Gracias, jefe,” Jesse added quietly, and Gabe granted him a fond little smile before sauntering back over to the booth to rejoin Jack.

Jesse let go of Hanzo’s hand to instead wrap his arm around his shoulders. Hanzo immediately slipped his arms around Jesse’s waist, hugging him hard and burying his face in chest. With a soft laugh, Jesse brought his other hand up to rub Hanzo’s back.

“Okay there, sweetheart?”

“Yes. I just…” Hanzo pulled back a little to look up at Jesse, his brow furrowed. “I am having a hard time believing that Gabriel would be willing to help with something like this. He doesn’t know me at all.”

“Yeah, but he knows me, and I know you,” Jesse countered, reaching up to brush a thumb across Hanzo’s cheek. “I know you’re worth it. You’re worth anything, Hanz.”

Hanzo bit his lip, its usual pink fading to strained white beneath his teeth. “Jesse,” he murmured, his eyes boring deep into Jesse’s.

Jesse felt warm all over. He laughed a little. “And besides, he _will_ know you. If I have my way you’ll all get to know each other real well. I intend to keep you around as long as I can, sweetheart,” he said, bumping his nose gently against Hanzo’s.

Hanzo smiled. “I am not going anywhere.” He tilted his head up until his lips met Jesse’s, and Jesse kissed him back happily, feeling more at peace than he had all week --

Something hit him right in the back of the head and he accidentally jerked forward, teeth knocking into Hanzo’s with a painful _clack_. He drew back quickly to apologize to his confused and pained-looking boyfriend. “Sorry, sorry. What the fuck?” Jesse muttered, turning to look at the Overwatch booth.

Gabe, Jack, Reinhardt, Ana, and Fareeha were all looking on with varying degrees of sheepishness and glee. There was a bowl of peanuts in between them all, and most of them had peanuts in their hands. As Jesse looked around he saw that there were some scattered on the floor nearby, and he scowled.

“Buncha dingdongs. Guess we’d better get back to ‘em.” Jesse reluctantly disentangled himself from Hanzo, keeping a tight hold on his hand, and led him back over to the booth. “Now, which one o’ y’all pegged me with one of these?” he demanded, gesturing to the peanuts.

“We do not know what you are talking about!” Reinhardt boomed, though he broke into a laugh on the last couple words.

“It was Fareeha,” said Ana.

Fareeha gasped. “Mom!” She turned to Jesse with a pleading look. “Wasn’t me, I _swear_.”

“Didn’t think it was. Your aim ain’t that good,” Jesse teased.

“What the _fuck_?” Fareeha said indignantly, but Jesse turned back to Ana.

“Naw, only one o’ you folks has aim that good. I know exactly who to blame for ruinin’ our moment.” He narrowed his eyes at Ana accusingly.

Ana scoffed and waved a hand dismissively. “Your moment? Please. You can have another moment when you are not directly in my line of sight. I was doing us all a favor.”

“So you admit it!”

“Like you said,” Ana said with a shrug and a grin. “Only one of us has aim that good.”

Reinhardt and Gabe shrugged their acquiescence. Jack looked slightly offended, but said nothing. Fareeha looked more indignant than ever.

“My aim is _fine_ ,” she grumbled.

Ana patted her hand reassuringly. “Of course it is, dear,” she said, and Fareeha scowled but dropped it for the time being.

An hour and several drinks later Fareeha’s pride returned. “I have good aim. I _promise_ ,” she said to Hanzo imploringly.

Hanzo was equally tipsy, if not even more so. He snorted and shook his head sharply. “I will believe it when I see it.”

“Let’s darts,” Fareeha said. “I mean. Play darts. Let’s.”

Hanzo shoved at her shoulder, sort of missed and mostly pushed at the air instead. “You’re on. Prepare to, um, get wrecked.” He turned to Jesse, looking hopeful. “Jess, will you play too?”

Jesse chuckled and shook his head. “Naw, I reckon it wouldn’t be a fair game. You go on ahead.” He gave Hanzo a quick kiss and a wink. “Kick her ass, sweetheart.”

“Believe me, I will,” Hanzo replied, throwing a challenging look at Fareeha. She stuck out her tongue at both of them, but grabbed Hanzo’s wrist and dragged him over to the dartboards.

Jesse watched them start their game curiously. He’d played darts against Fareeha many times (and won almost all of them), but he’d never seen Hanzo do something like this before. Even in his inebriated state, his aim was impressive.

As Hanzo hit his third bullseye, Fareeha howled with disappointment. Hanzo laughed loud enough for Jesse to hear even from a little ways away, shuffling his feet in what looked to be a strangely stilted victory dance.

“Damn,” Jack’s voice interrupted Jesse’s reverie. “You got it bad, kid.”

Jesse tore his eyes away from Hanzo to look at Jack. “Huh?”

Gabe snorted. “You’re smiling like a damn goof.”

Oh. He was. Jesse tried to school his expression, but it was too late.

“I have never seen you look at someone that way before,” Ana observed.

“Young love!” Reinhardt bellowed, wiping an actual tear from his eye.

Jesse sank down into his seat, both a blush and a grin on his face. “Yeah,” he sighed. “I got it bad.”

As Hanzo and Fareeha continued their game and Jesse watched, they both got drunker and drunker, and their aim got worse and worse. Hanzo still hit close to the center of the target on most of his shots, but Fareeha was lucky if hers even stuck to the board.

Eventually, Fareeha announced loudly that she needed to utilize the facilities, and as she headed for the restrooms Hanzo made his way back over to the booth and deposited himself in Jesse’s lap.

“Babe,” he mumbled in Jesse’s ear from where he was draped across his shoulder. “Babe, I’m winning.”

“I know, Hanz, you’re doing great,” Jesse praised him, wrapping his arms around Hanzo to keep him from tipping over in his lap. “I didn’t know you were so good at darts. Real impressive.”

“Yes. I am very good,” Hanzo agreed. “Better when I’m sober. But always better than Fareeha. I think,” he whispered loudly. “I think that drunk me would still be better than sober Fareeha, probably.”

Jesse laughed. “I don’t doubt it.” He rubbed Hanzo’s back, and Hanzo nuzzled against his neck.

“I have to win,” he murmured.

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

“We made a bet. A bet I want to win.”

“What’s the bet?”

“If I win, she has to suck it up and ask out Angela." 

Jesse gasped a little and pulled back to look at Hanzo. “Wait a hot second. Fareeha likes Angie?”

Hanzo’s brow furrowed deeply. “Um. No. I was not supposed to tell you that.” His cheeks turned red, and he groaned as he let his head fall forward onto Jesse’s shoulder. “ _Fuck_." 

“No, no, baby, listen. This is great!” Jesse could hardly contain his excitement. “Angie’s liked Fareeha for months.”

“Months?” Hanzo sat back up and huffed disdainfully. “Fareeha has liked Angela for _years_.” His face turned even redder. “God. Fareeha is going to kill me. I have no filter when I am drunk. This is very embarrassing.” 

“Naw, it’s cute,” Jesse reassured him, bumping their noses together lightly. He filed away the information that Fareeha’d liked Angie for _years_ to think about later. “So what happens if you lose the bet?”

Hanzo leaned even closer until their foreheads touched. “If I lose, Fareeha gets to choose a karaoke song for me to sing,” he whispered, sounding terrified.

Jesse whistled. “Yikes. After the song you picked for her last time, can’t imagine she’d be real merciful towards you, huh?”

Fareeha reappeared in the main room of the bar just then, and Hanzo narrowed his eyes at her. “Exactly. So if you will excuse me,” he said to Jesse, “I am going to go finish kicking her ass.”

“You do that,” Jesse said with a chuckle. He relinquished his hold on Hanzo, and after giving Jesse a sloppy kiss, Hanzo got up and followed Fareeha back over to the dartboards.

Jesse smiled at his back until Gabe spoke up from the other side of the table. “Well, that was gross.”

Jesse gave him a halfhearted scowl. “Fuck right off, old man.”

Reinhardt laughed boisterously. “Do not give him such a hard time, Gabriel! I remember when you and Jack first got together. You were much worse!”

“Lies and slander,” Gabe said coolly.

“No, he’s right. You two were awful.” Ana wrinkled her nose. “Still are, actually.”

Jack tightened his arm around Gabe’s shoulders and frowned. “We are a pleasure to be around, thank you very much.”

“No one’s sayin’ you ain’t,” Jesse said reassuringly, before his face broke into a teasing smirk. “Just sayin’ you’re a coupla nasty old pervs, too.”

Ana snickered and Reinhardt boomed with laughter as both Gabe and Jack turned bright red.

“Lies and slander,” Gabe repeated, much less coolly, and tugged on Jack’s hand on his shoulder. “C’mon, Jackie, we don’t have to stand for this.”

“The solution to being called a couple of nasty old perverts is _not_ to go and have sex in a bar bathroom for the second time tonight,” Ana pointed out, and Jesse hooted.

Gabe grimaced and settled back into his seat with defeat, but leaned over to say something in Jack’s ear that made him smile and blush.

Jesse grinned fondly. Despite all the teasing, he’d always admired Gabe and Jack’s relationship. After all these years, they still couldn’t keep their hands off each other and so obviously loved each other. All he’d ever wanted was to find something as good at that.

And maybe…maybe he had. He looked over to the dartboards. Hanzo was lining up a shot, his brow furrowed in concentration just like when he’d been fixing his hair in the mirror earlier. The tip of his tongue peeked out from between his lips. He took the shot.

When the dart hit dead center in the target, Hanzo punched both fists into the air with excitement, even as Fareeha groaned and dropped her face into her hands. Hanzo turned around, and his triumphant smirk grew into a happy smile when he saw that Jesse was watching.

Jesse smiled back, his heart fluttering in his chest, and in that moment he knew that he loved Hanzo Shimada.

Goddamn. Should’ve seen that one coming.

Jesse’s eyes filled with tears, and he excused himself before anyone could see. They’d all seen him cry before; he was a sentimental sap, that wasn’t new to anyone. But he wasn’t ready for anyone to start asking him about the reason behind these specific waterworks.

It wasn’t all that much of a surprise, he pondered as he made his way towards the exit. He’d known his feelings had been heading there for a long time now. Practically since he met Hanzo. He just hadn’t expected it to hit him in full force right now. He needed some fresh air and a smoke to clear his head and think about it.

The cool night air washed over Jesse as soon as he stepped outside. Alone in the near-darkness, he let the tears fall from his eyes, rolling slowly down his cheeks and into his beard while he dug in his pockets for his lighter and a cigarillo.

It took him a few tries to light up. His hand was trembling slightly. What was he supposed to do now? He wanted to tell Hanzo. Hell, if Hanzo’d been within earshot at that moment of realization, he would’ve told him right then. But maybe he should wait. The right time, the right place. Hanzo seemed like he’d appreciate that.

Maybe he should wait. He didn’t know if he _could_ wait.

He’d just taken his first puff from the cigarillo when the door to the bar opened beside him and an anxious-looking Hanzo appeared. “Jesse, are you -- _Jesse_ ,” Hanzo gasped, all but tripping over himself in his hurry to get to Jesse. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, honey,” Jesse said quickly, settling a reassuring hand on Hanzo’s shoulder. “Didn’t mean to worry ya.”

Hanzo didn’t seem convinced at all. He took Jesse’s face in his hands and looked him intently in the eyes. “You are crying.”

“Yeah, but not ‘cause something’s wrong. More like…” Jesse took another puff of the cigarillo as he considered what to say. “‘Cause something’s right, I guess.”

“What is it that is right?”

Jesse laughed softly. “You are, Hanzo.”

Hanzo tilted his head to one side, stroking Jesse’s tears away with his thumbs. “I do not want you to cry because of me,” he murmured, his brow deeply furrowed.

“It’s a good cry, sweetheart.”

“Still. I never want to make you cry. I only want to make you smile and laugh,” Hanzo said, gazing up at Jesse intently. “I want to make you as happy as you make me, because I love you.”

The cigarillo almost fell out of Jesse’s mouth. “You...you do?”

Hanzo moved in closer, dropping his hands from Jesse’s face to his hips, and buried his face against Jesse’s neck. “Please pretend that I did not just say that. I do love you. I love you so much, Jesse Jebediah McCree. But I want to wait to tell you until I am sober. Tomorrow, maybe.”

Jesse’s tears started anew, filling his eyes and trickling onto his cheeks. He took the cigarillo from his mouth with his prosthetic hand and held it out over Hanzo’s shoulder so it wouldn’t spill any ash on him as he wrapped his other arm tightly around Hanzo. “You got it, sweetheart. I wanna tell you, too, and I’ll wait if that’s what you want,” he murmured into Hanzo’s hair.

Hanzo pulled back to look at Jesse, his eyes wide and hopeful and shining. “But...you do love me?”

Jesse smiled happily and ran a thumb across the blush on Hanzo’s cheek. “Yeah, I do.”

Hanzo beamed, and Jesse didn’t know if he’d ever seen him happier or more beautiful than he was right then, illuminated by the neon blue glow of the bar sign and the smoldering orange of Jesse’s cigarillo.

“Jesse,” Hanzo murmured. He gripped Jesse’s hips and stood on tiptoe to bring their faces closer together. “Jesse, I love you. I love you.”

Jesse laughed quietly through his tears. “What about waitin’ till tomorrow?”

“I changed my mind.” Hanzo shook his head, the tip of his nose brushing back and forth against Jesse’s. “I will tell you tomorrow, too. I will tell you every day. I will say it now because it’s true now.” One of his hands tightened on Jesse’s hip as the other cupped his face and wiped away his tears. “I love you, Jesse.”

“Hanzo,” Jesse breathed. His heart threatened to burst from his chest. “I love you too. God, I love you.”

Hanzo smiled and tilted his head up and kissed Jesse slowly, so tenderly it could’ve made Jesse cry all over again. Jesse’s arms draped comfortably over Hanzo’s shoulders, crossing at the wrists behind him, still-lit cigarillo dangling between his metal fingers.

After a long moment Hanzo drew back just far enough to dart up and place a tiny kiss on the tip of Jesse’s nose. “Jesse. I’m so happy,” he whispered.

Jesse smiled and pulled Hanzo in for another kiss. “So am I, baby,” he murmured against the lips of the man he loved. “So am I.”

 

***

 

“You have to do it. I won fair and square.”

“It wasn’t fair and square,” Fareeha protested. “I’m drunk.”

Hanzo glared at her incredulously and spread his arms wide. “I am fucking _wasted_ , Fareeha. I beat you super fair, super square. Accept your defeat gracefully,” he told her as he dropped clumsily into Jesse’s lap.

“He’s right. You gotta do it,” Jesse agreed, wrapping his arms around Hanzo’s torso and resting his chin on his shoulder. Hanzo made a pleased noise and turned his head to give Jesse a wet kiss on the cheek. “Though I will say, not sure you should do it _now_.”

“No, you should definitely do it now,” Hanzo insisted to Fareeha. He brought a hand up to cup Jesse’s cheek. “My boyfriend is very handsome, and very wonderful, and usually very smart, but right now he is wrong. The wrongest.”

“Oh, I’m gonna make you regret sayin’ that,” Jesse murmured, grinning and turning his head to press a kiss to Hanzo’s palm. Hanzo tried to pat his cheek and hit him in the nose a little bit instead.

“Do I have to?” Fareeha pouted.

“Yes. As the victor I get to determine the requirements of the losing party’s punishment, or rather, the terms in which the bet must be fulfilled,” Hanzo explained, only slurring about half the words.

Fareeha groaned loudly. “Jeez, okay, just...tell me what to do.”

“Call Angela.”

“‘Kay, fine.” Fareeha pulled out her phone and immediately dropped it. Jesse managed to dart his hand out just in time to catch it.

Hanzo gasped. “Babe. You’re amazing.”

Jesse chuckled. “Just got good reflexes is all. Here ya go.” He handed the phone back to Fareeha, who smiled sheepishly as she took it.

“Thanks, Jess.”

“Make it a video call,” Hanzo instructed.

Fareeha’s eyes widened, and she smoothed down her hair. “Do I look okay?”

“Yes,” Hanzo said. “Call.”

“Alright, alright.” Fareeha took a deep breath and made the call. A few rings could be heard over the phone’s speaker before the call was answered and a sleepy-looking Angela appeared on the screen.

“Hi, Fareeha.”

Fareeha gasped and shoved the phone towards Hanzo. “You talk to her!” she whispered frantically. “Tell her you took my phone and called her.”

“She already saw you,” Hanzo whispered back, but he took the phone and held it up with the camera pointing towards him and Jesse, not seeming to notice that it was upside down. “Hello, Angela. This is Hanzo Shimada, from the bus. Jesse McCree’s boyfriend.” Jesse chuckled and kissed Hanzo on the cheek.

“Hi, Hanzo,” Angela said, sounding incredibly confused. “Hi, Jess.”

“Hey there, Ang,” Jesse replied as he reached out to turn the phone right side up in Hanzo’s hand. “How you doin’?”

“I’m pretty good. I was just about to go to bed. Are you guys at the bar?”

“Yes, we are,” Hanzo cut in. “And Fareeha has something she wants to ask you.” He tried to give the phone back to Fareeha, but she pushed his hands away and refused to take it.

Jesse sighed. “Here, lemme talk to her first.” He held out his hand, and Hanzo reluctantly handed over the phone. Jesse held it off to the side a bit, so he was in the frame with Hanzo in the background.

“Sorry ‘bout all this, darlin’. They’re...pretty drunk,” he said, casting a glance towards Fareeha, who had her face in her hands and was babbling incoherently while Hanzo leaned forward from Jesse’s lap to pat her firmly on the head.

“I could tell,” Angie replied with a tired but amused smile. “So what’s going on?”

“Well, y’know how you’ve got the hots for Fareeha?”

“Jesse,” Angela gasped, looking horrified. “She’s _right there_.”

“She ain’t listenin’. And even if she was, turns out she’s got the hots for you too,” he confided.

Angela’s mouth formed a tiny _o_. “Really?”

“Yep. She and Hanzo have gotten pretty tight, right? Apparently he’s known for a while now and has been tryin’ to convince her to make a move and shit. Two of ‘em played a game of darts a bit ago and bet on it. She lost, which means she’s gotta ask you out. Hanzo’s makin’ her do it now.”

Angie laughed and shook her head with disbelief. “Really? Now’s the best time?”

“Yeah, that’s what I said, but they’re determined,” Jesse said fondly. “So, yeah. Just wanted to let you know what’s goin’ on. Fareeha’s drunk, but the sentiment’s real. So, y’know. Do with that as you will.”

“Okay.” Angie smiled nervously and patted her hair. “How do I look?”

“You look great, sweetheart,” Jesse said with a chuckle. “Go get ‘er.”

He held the phone back out to Fareeha. “S’all you, sis.”

Fareeha looked a little bit like she might be sick, though it was hard to tell if that was from nervousness or inebriation. Regardless, she took the phone and gave Angela her best smile. “Hi, Angie.”

Jesse couldn’t see the screen anymore, but he could imagine Angie’s nervous smile as she replied, “Hi, Fareeha. How are you?" 

“I’m, uh, pretty good. How are you?”

“I’m good, thank you. Hanzo tells me you have something to ask me?”

“Um, yeah. I do.” Fareeha chewed at the ends of her hair anxiously, then seemed to remember that Angie could see her and stopped quickly. “Do you maybe want to go on a date with me sometime?”

“I would love to.”

Fareeha gasped. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” Angie said with a soft giggle.

“Oh my god. Thank you,” Fareeha said, looking down at her phone with awe.

“Thank you for asking. But let’s talk about this another time when I’m not so sleepy and you’re not so drunk, yes?”

“Yes! Good idea. I’ll, um, call you tomorrow?”

“Sounds wonderful. Good night, Fareeha.”

“Good night.” The call ended, and Fareeha thrust both fists into the air, nearly dropping her phone again. “She said yes!"

“I told you she would,” Hanzo told her smugly. “Eventually, you will learn that I am always right.”

“You are not.”

“Are too. Am too,” Hanzo insisted. Fareeha stuck out her tongue.

“If Angie was going to bed, must be pretty late,” Jesse muttered. He checked his watch and whistled. “Hoo, yep. We should probably get you home so you can start sleepin’ this off,” he said to Hanzo.

Hanzo let his head loll back onto Jesse’s shoulder and looked up at him with a soft smile. “Probably,” he agreed. He slid out of Jesse’s lap and stumbled forward a bit to take Fareeha’s face in his hands.

“Fareeha. Listen to me. Listen,” he said gravely, and she looked back at him with wide, somber eyes. “Good job asking out Angela. I am proud of you.”

“Thanks.” Fareeha beamed. “Thanks for your help. Yours too, Jess." 

“Sure thing,” Jesse said with a grin. “We gotta double date soon, yeah?”

“Yes! That would be _so_ fun,” Fareeha said excitedly.

Jesse chuckled. “Sounds good. We’ll see you later, then. Get home safe.”

“Will do. Now go be gross somewhere else,” Fareeha said with an authoritative wave of her hand.

“Believe me, we will,” Hanzo assured her, and she made a gagging noise.

Jesse laughed. “C’mon, baby.” He wrapped his arm around Hanzo’s waist and let Hanzo lean against him as they waved goodbye to the others and made their way out of the bar.

Hanzo fell asleep in Jesse’s car before he’d even shifted into drive. As Jesse drove back to Hanzo’s apartment he couldn’t help glancing over at his sleeping boyfriend every so often with a little smile on his face. God fucking _damn_ , was he the luckiest man in the world. 

Once they arrived Jesse gently shook Hanzo awake. “We’re here, Hanz. You good to walk up?”

Hanzo made an indistinguishable noise halfway between a groan and a yawn.

“Want me to carry you?”

A little less groan, a little more yawn. Jesse decided to take that as a yes.

He got out and walked around to open the passenger door, then crouched a bit and turned his back. “Climb on,” he instructed.

It took a couple seconds for Hanzo to get moving, but finally he managed to wrap his legs around Jesse’s waist and his arms around his neck. Jesse held onto Hanzo’s legs and stood up straight, kicking the door shut behind him. “Alrighty, now hold on tight. I know you can do better than that,” he teased.

Hanzo grumbled something indistinguishable, but tightened his grip. Jesse patted his knee and began the trek up to the apartment. Once they were inside he took Hanzo straight to his bedroom and deposited him carefully on his bed.

“You wanna change into pajamas?”

“No.”

Jesse chuckled. “Okay.” He leaned over and kissed Hanzo softly. “I’ll call you tomorrow?”

“No,” Hanzo said again, and managed to reach out and tug at Jesse’s hand. “Stay.”

There was that bossy sleepy Hanzo that Jesse loved. He loved every Hanzo, every side of him, every part of him. He smiled and kissed Hanzo again. “You got it, darlin’.”

 

***

 

 

A loud noise woke Jesse. He opened bleary eyes to a dark room; it definitely wasn’t morning yet. But the noise didn’t stop. As he gained coherency, he realized there was shouting coming from the front of the apartment, followed by a door slamming, an unidentifiable crash, and more yelling.

Hanzo stirred awake next to him. “Genji,” he grumbled. “What the fuck.”

“Guess he’s just gettin’ home now,” Jesse murmured back. He looked at the clock; it was just past one, so they’d only been asleep for about an hour.

“I need to...help him. See what’s wrong,” Hanzo said, but his eyes were still screwed shut.

Jesse ran a hand over his hair soothingly. “Naw, I’ll go. You keep sleepin’ and I’ll come get you if he needs you, okay?”

“Okay,” Hanzo mumbled sleepily. Jesse kissed his forehead and rolled out of bed with a groan.

Genji had stopped yelling by the time Jesse stumbled into the hallway outside Hanzo’s bedroom. The whole apartment was dark; Genji apparently hadn’t turned on any lights when he came in. Jesse carefully made his way down the hall to where he was pretty sure the living room was.

“Genji?” he tried, and a loud gasp came from what sounded like the floor.

“Oh my god. You scared me. Is that my brother’s cowboyfriend I hear?” Genji’s voice had that weird singsong quality it usually had when Jesse heard him speak, but something was off about it right now.

“Yeah, it’s Jesse.” Jesse strained his eyes in the darkness, his eyes adjusting just enough to see a dark form on the ground but not enough to see a lightswitch. “There a light around here, or…?”

Suddenly the lights flicked on, and Jesse yelped, squeezing his eyes shut against the brightness. After a few seconds he carefully opened his eyes.

The first thing Jesse saw was Genji’s empty wheelchair, right by the front door. Genji himself was sprawled out on the floor next to it with his back against the wall. His makeup was smeared and streaked, and he offered Jesse a twisted smile.

“I know I told you to fuck my brother, but I did not expect you to be staying over so often so soon.”

Jesse could tell what was wrong with Genji’s voice now. He was trying not to cry.

“You okay? Did you fall outta your wheelchair? Here, lemme -- ” He started to crouch down to help Genji back into his wheelchair, but Genji recoiled.

“No. Do not touch me. I am here on purpose.”

Jesse wasn’t sure if that was true or not, but the watery defiance in Genji’s expression kept him from pressing. “Okay, okay. Mind my askin’ what you’re doin’ down there, then?”

Genji laughed, too loudly. “Isn’t it obvious? I am wallowing."

“Why’s that? Thought you were real excited about tonight.”

Genji huffed. “Well, I was _before_. Things change. Did _your_ night go exactly as planned?” he challenged.

“Guess not,” Jesse admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, although his had gone off track in all the best possible ways. He figured it probably wouldn’t help to tell Genji that right now.

Genji shuffled his cast-encased feet broodingly. “Do you have any idea how much it sucks to be the only guy at a club in a wheelchair?”

“Naw, but I do know what it’s like to be the only guy at a club with one arm.” With a sigh, Jesse sank down to the floor against the wall across from Genji. “It does suck.”

“It sucks a lot. Usually I would not even be home yet. I probably would not be home at all.”

“I guess it’s probably pretty hard to get laid when you’re in a wheelchair,” Jesse offered sympathetically.

“Please,” Genji said with a dramatic eyeroll. “I could have gotten laid eight times over if that is what I wanted. Nothing could take away my game.”

Jesse raised a skeptical eyebrow, but didn’t push it. “So what’s the issue, then?”

Genji wrinkled his nose. “There is...something. Someone. I think. I don’t know.” He sighed. “It is...complicated.”

“Why’s that?” Jesse asked, a little curious despite himself. “Who is it?”

Genji suddenly sat up a little straighter and turned a sharp, suspicious look on Jesse. “I don’t know. It’s not your business.”

Jesse raised his hands in surrender, but rolled his eyes. “Well, ‘scuse me for thinkin’ we were bonding down here on the floor at ass o’clock in the mornin’.”

“We are,” Genji backtracked quickly. “Ten out of ten bonding-with-boyfriend’s-baby-brother points to you. I just…” He settled back against the wall again and looked off to the side. “I have not told anyone.”

“Really? You ain’t even told Amélie?”

Genji laughed shrilly. “No, I have not told Amélie.”

“So, uh…” Jesse’s brow furrowed with confusion. “Why you tellin’ me?”

“Like you said,” Genji sighed, giving half a shrug. “Ass o’clock in the morning. And I’m drunk and upset and you’re around and being nosy anyway, so.” He gestured vaguely with his good hand. “Anyway, now you have to tell me a secret, too.”

“What? Why?”

“A secret for a secret. That’s how it works.”

“I never agreed to that!”

“Doesn’t matter,” Genji said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Besides, it will earn you more bonding points that you may cash in at a later time.”

“That’s not a real thing.”

“Well, I’m going to make it one now because fuck you.”

Jesse snorted. “Alright, fine. What do you wanna know?”

“Hmm.” Genji considered for only a second before getting a mischievous look on his face. “Are you in love with Hanzo?”

That wasn’t really a secret, not anymore, but Jesse figured if he didn’t tell Genji that he’d be off the hook, so: “Yeah,” he said.

“Gross,” Genji replied immediately.

“S’not gross. Love is beautiful, asshole. And you asked!”

Genji snickered. “Right, right. For the record, I am pretty sure he loves you, too.”

Jesse couldn’t help grinning. “You think so?”

“Yes. You see, I have known my brother for a very long time,” Genji said solemnly. Jesse raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing, and Genji continued.

“He’s always had to deal with a lot. The Shimada clan, me and all my bullshit…” Genji laughed a little bit and shrugged. “His life has not been easy, or particularly happy. But he is happy now, even though he’s still dealing with new versions of the same old shit. Because he has you. I have never seen him happier than when he is with you.”

Jesse turned a little pink. “Well, damn. Thanks for sayin’ that,” he said, rubbing his neck. “I’m just glad I can be there for him. He means a lot to me.”

“That’s good,” Genji said with an approving nod. Then his eyes widened hopefully. “Hey, may I please be the officiant at your wedding?”

“Genji!” Jesse spluttered. “S’a little early for that, don’t you think?”

Genji shrugged. “It never hurts to be prepared,” he said airily. “Please promise me that I may be the officiant at your wedding.”

“No way.”

“What if I rack up enough bonding points?”

“I thought those only applied to me,” Jesse said, frowning.

“It goes both ways. You can earn bonding-with-boyfriend’s-baby-brother points, and I can earn bonding-with-big-brother’s-boyfriend points. See? A perfect system.”

“Well, if you get to say how many points I get, who says how many you get? ‘Cause it _should_ be me, but I got a feelin’ it’s you.”

Genji considered for a moment. “Here is a bargain for you. I will surrender that power to you, but! For doing that, I automatically get five million points.”

“Five goddamn _million_?”

“Yes. Quite a steal, actually. I am feeling generous.”

Jesse rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “Fine. You get the five million, but I get to determine all the rest.”

“Deal. So, how many do I need to get to be your and Hanzo’s wedding officiant?”

“Uh… Eight million.” That seemed like a pretty unreasonable number. “And that’s a big fat _if_ we get married.”

Genji didn’t look deterred, though, and didn’t even bother addressing the qualifier. “I can definitely do that.”

“We’ll see,” Jesse muttered. “Anyway, you really should be gettin’ to bed, kid.”

“I guess so.” Genji looked up at his wheelchair from where he was sitting on the floor. “Um. I may have made a mistake after all.”

Jesse chuckled and clambered to his feet. “I gotcha.” He stooped to pick Genji up and put him back in his wheelchair, then pushed him to his room. “Need any more help, or you got it from here?"

“I will be fine. Thank you, Jesse.”

“Sure. G’night.”

“Good night, sleep tight,” Genji sang. “Don’t let my brother bite. Unless you are into that sort of thing.” Jesse shut the door in Genji’s face.

He went back out to the living room and shut the light back off, then found his way back to Hanzo’s room. As he climbed back into bed Hanzo half-sat up. “Jesse.”

“Hey, baby. You don’t gotta wake up. Everything’s fine.”

“Genji is okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Hanzo dropped back down, and Jesse laid beside him, scooting close and wrapping his arms around Hanzo so they were chest to chest. "Did you find out why he was shouting?"

"Yeah, I -- " Jesse paused and frowned. "Wait, no. I didn't. Shit. Sorry."

"That's okay. I will ask him tomorrow." Hanzo hummed sleepily and tilted his head up. “Jesse.”

“Mhmm?”

“It is tomorrow now.”

“Yeah, it is.”

Hanzo smiled softly. “I love you.”

Jesse cupped Hanzo’s chin in his hand and kissed him, slow and sweet. “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for taking a million years again, i hope it was worth the wait!!
> 
> thank you [brenna](http://butchlesbiankillian.tumblr.com) for being my main beta and helping so much with the plot and backstories, and thank you [paige](http://twitter.com/patchworkroyal) for being my hype beta aka reading the first finished draft and telling me it was cute, and thank you [roshabot](http://twitter.com/roshabot) for more spanish help!!
> 
> thanks to everyone who did more art of crossroads since the last chapter!!!! you guys literally make me cry, everyone please check all of this out!  
> [genyatta plant shop scene from chapter 8 by 7clubs](http://7clubs.tumblr.com/post/152338851139/god-bless-calming-plant-shop-boy-zenyatta-quick) (this scene has since been deleted sorry but the art is still lovely!)  
> [hanzo, jesse, and lúcio by revolverwaffle](http://revolverwaffle.tumblr.com/post/152438145699/sodawife-so-like-weeeekksss-ago-i-started)  
> [chip-eating genji by nsfwmccree](http://nsfwmccree.tumblr.com/post/152716609140/so-yall-should-fuckin-read-sodawife)  
> [crossroads - a mchanzo playlist](http://8tracks.com/ninjadragonwhat/crossroads-a-mchanzo-playlist) by [ninjadragonwhat](http://ninjadragonwhat.tumblr.com/post/152488656469/crossroads-a-mchanzo-playlist)
> 
> just one more chapter to go!!!! thanks for hanging in there with me guys, i love you all! as always feel free to hit me up on twitter [@GENJAMlN](http://twitter.com/genjamln) and/or on tumblr [@sodawife](http://sodawife.tumblr.com)!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i lived bitch
> 
> i also made a lot of edits to all of the previous chapters! reasons for changes were either  
> 1\. i realized it was bad/problematic  
> 2\. it was badly written/i didn't like it  
> 3\. i wanted to and it's my story so i can do what i want which is pretty cool
> 
> there IS genjamé in this chapter and the epilogue, so if you don't wanna read that then...don't read these chapters i guess? idk what to tell you man
> 
> anyway all that being said, enjoy!!

Hanzo was halfway through getting dressed when the doorbell rang.

He groaned and put his hands over his ears. He was too hungover for the doorbell to be ringing at… He looked over at the clock with a frown. 10:12 on a Saturday morning. He quickly threw on the first shirt he found -- Jesse’s shirt from the night before -- and stumbled out of his room. He’d probably be back before Jesse got out of the shower and needed his shirt again.

Looking through the peephole, Hanzo was surprised to see Gabriel standing there with a woman he didn’t recognize. He opened the door and they both looked up.

“Hey there,” the woman said with a smile and a wiggle of her long purple fingernails.

“Hello,” Hanzo said slowly, pushing his still-sluggish mind to try and figure out why they could be here.

“Morning,” Gabriel grunted, shouldering his way past Hanzo and into the apartment. Hanzo stepped aside to let the woman in too before shutting the door and turning to face them.

“Gabriel, what’s going on?”

“This is Sombra,” Gabriel said, jerking his head towards the woman. “She’s a hacker. Works odd jobs for me sometimes.”

“Nice to meet you,” Sombra said, extending a hand.

Hanzo was still confused, but he shook her hand. “Likewise. I am Hanzo Shimada.”

“I know. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Sombra said with a wink. “I’m friends with Jesse. Met him through ol’ Gabi here.” She leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, “He has a soft spot for troubled Mexican kids.”

Gabriel scowled. “I heard that, and I have zero soft spots.”

“Right.” Sombra laughed. “Anyway, we’re here because Big Softie over here asked me to help dig up some intel on your whole…” She waggled her fingers vaguely. “...situation.”

“I see. Are you a part of Blackwatch as well?”

Sombra snorted. “Ha! Hilarious. No, but I’ve helped out plenty.” She shrugged. “I pretty much just take whichever jobs sound fun, and this one did. Figured we wouldn’t keep you waiting to see what I’ve found.”

“Already? We just discussed this last night,” Hanzo said, impressed.

Sombra shrugged. “I work fast, and I don’t sleep.” She waved her disgustingly huge Starbucks cup demonstratively. “Wanna see what we’ve got?”

“Of course. Let me just…” Hanzo needed to go back to his room and tell Jesse that they had company, and give him his shirt back or find him another one.

But before he had the chance, Jesse trundled out of his bedroom, in the middle of toweling his hair dry and wearing only a pair of boxers. “Hey, Hanz, y’seen my shirt?”

Sombra’s bright violet eyes grew wide with glee. “Jesse, oh my god, you’re _here_?”

Jesse yanked the towel off his head, startled. “Som? Gabe? The fuck are you two doing here?”

“Saving your boyfriend’s ass,” Sombra replied, still grinning. “I can’t believe you’re here, you dirty dog -- ”

“Knock it off, guys,” Gabriel cut in. “Jesse, put a fucking shirt on and get back out here. We got business to discuss.”

“You got it.” Jesse looked over at Hanzo and raised his eyebrows meaningfully before going back into the bedroom.

Hanzo turned back to Gabriel and Sombra. “Excuse me for just a moment. Please, make yourselves comfortable.” He gestured to the kitchen, then hurried down the hallway towards his bedroom.

Jesse had one leg in his jeans when Hanzo came in and shut the door behind him. He looked up and opened his mouth, but before he could speak Hanzo held up a finger to his lips. “Genji is still sleeping,” he said quietly. “He gets unmanageably grumpy if he’s woken before noon on Saturdays.”

“Got it,” Jesse whispered back as he did a little jump to pull his pants the rest of the way up. He gave Hanzo a long once-over and grinned. “Baby, that shirt looks damn good on ya, but if you wanna keep wearin’ it, you’re gonna have to give me a loaner.”

“Right.” Hanzo quickly stripped the shirt off and tossed it back to Jesse before turning to the closet to find another shirt for himself.

“So, uh. The fuck’s goin’ on?”

“Apparently Gabriel enlisted Sombra’s help in finding information against the Shimada clan, and they’re here to show me what they’ve found.” Hanzo turned back around and started to pull the shirt on. “Sombra said that she has heard a lot about me.”

Jesse grinned sheepishly as he did up the buttons on his shirt. “Yeah. Guilty.”

“Good things, I hope.”

“Oh, absolutely.” Jesse moved over to Hanzo and cupped his face in his hand. “I just like braggin’ about you.”

“I appreciate it.” Hanzo chuckled and leaned up to kiss Jesse. “Let’s not keep them waiting.”

Hanzo and Jesse hurried back to where Gabriel and Sombra had indeed made themselves comfortable at the kitchen table. Gabriel looked like he was falling asleep with his head down on his arms, and Sombra was tapping away at a tablet, her feet up on the table in a hot pink pair of those bizarre toed running shoes.

Hanzo cleared his throat, and Gabriel abruptly sat up straight with a grunt. He looked over at Sombra and scowled. “Feet off the table, Som, don’t be fucking rude.” She rolled her eyes at him, but let her feet fall back to the floor and set her tablet down on the table instead.

Hanzo and Jesse sat down across the table from them. “So, what do you have?” Hanzo asked.

“Well.” Sombra sat up straighter in her seat, looking eager. “For starters, the one running this operation to bring you back is a lieutenant named Tetsu Sagawa. You know him?”

“Yes.” Hanzo didn’t know Sagawa well, but he’d always seemed the power-hungry type, and he’d never been particularly fond of the Shimada brothers. Genji called him a douche to his face one time. Hanzo would never admit it to Genji, but it was hilarious. “He was not a lieutenant when I left, though.”

“Seems he got a promotion,” Gabriel said. “Probably because he’s claiming he’ll be able to get you to come back for sure.”

“I see. And I presume that’s why they’ve been bribing and threatening me rather than just killing me.”

“Yep,” Sombra confirmed. “When you left, you created a power vacuum, and the clan’s been kind of a fucking disaster trying to fill it. If someone could either bring you back or make you pay for leaving, it’d help legitimize their claim to power. That’s what Sagawa’s hoping for by bringing you back alive.”

Hanzo nodded. “Makes sense. If the promise alone was enough to get him promoted to lieutenant, succeeding would definitely help him rise further in the ranks.”

“Exactly. So that’s his main purpose here, obviously. But while he’s been waiting for you to come around, he and his guys have been up to all kinds of shady business on the side.”

“What kinds?” Jesse asked curiously.

Sombra ticked things off on her fingers as she listed them. “Money laundering. Smuggling. Loan sharking. Illegal gambling. Et cetera.”

Jesse let out a low whistle. “Goddamn. Sounds like they’ve been busy.”

“Yeah. Lucky for us.” Sombra tapped at her tablet several times, then pushed it across the table to Hanzo. “Take a look. I’ve got a shitload of receipts, invoices, bank statements, and tons of photos. Oh, and Sagawa’s personal phone number and current address.”

Hanzo swiped through the pictures and documents Sombra had pulled up. She was right; there was definitely a shitload of evidence here, ranging from mildly suspicious to downright incriminating. He recognized some of the men in the photos, but one man seemed to be more prominent than the others. One who was all too familiar.

“Do you know who this is?” Hanzo asked, tapping a photo where the man’s face was almost fully visible to zoom in on it.

Sombra leaned across the table to squint at it. “Oh, yep. That’d be Keiji Tachibana. It seems like he’s kind of a favorite of Sagawa’s. His right-hand man, possibly.”

Hanzo nodded slowly. “This…” He tapped the photo again to minimize it and looked away. “This is the man who tried to kill my brother.”

Sombra’s eyes widened. “Oh, fuck.”

Under the table, Jesse reached for Hanzo’s free hand. Hanzo linked their fingers together and gave a grateful squeeze, then cleared his throat. “Anyway, this is excellent. Thank you, Sombra. You too, Gabriel.”

“My pleasure,” Sombra replied, and Gabriel nodded. “This is all yours now to do whatever you want with.” She leaned forward curiously. “What _do_ you want to do with it? Turn them in? Blackmail them?”

“Blackmail, definitely.”

“Nice,” Sombra said with a grin.

Gabriel folded his arms across his chest and leaned back. “You got a plan?”

“I’m starting to,” Hanzo said, his mind already racing through his options. “Here’s what I’m thinking.”

 

***

 

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Genji looked terrified, but he nodded. “Yeah. I’m sure.”

“Okay.” Hanzo gripped the handles of Genji’s wheelchair and pushed him into the salon.

Once Genji was being seen to by Akande, Hanzo’s usual hairdresser, Hanzo sat in the reception area to wait for him. Just as he reached for a magazine on the coffee table his phone buzzed with a text from Jesse.

FROM: JESSE <3  
_HEYYYYY WATSUP HAZNO ITS YA BOIZZZZ LO_

Attached was a selfie of Lena, Lúcio, and Jamie, the Taco Bell employees Jesse had introduced Hanzo to a few weeks prior. Lena was crossing her eyes and sticking her tongue out, Lúcio was making a kissy face, and Jamie’s face was too blurry for Hanzo to be sure what he was doing, but it sort of looked like he was screaming.

Hanzo chuckled under his breath and typed out a reply.

TO: JESSE <3  
_This is lovely. Thank you very much._

A few minutes later he got a response.

FROM: JESSE <3  
_Sorry bout that hon lena stole my phone lol shes a fast lil beast!!!! Heres one from me_

A moment later another picture came, a selfie of Jesse grinning happily. Lúcio was doing bunny ears behind his head, and Jamie was in the background, still inexplicably blurry. Hanzo smiled and saved the picture to his phone.

TO: JESSE <3  
_Even lovelier._

FROM: JESSE <3  
_Aw thanks sweet pea :-)))) my lunch breaks almost over, one from u for the road?? ;-)))_

Hanzo glanced around to make sure no one was looking, then snapped a quick selfie and sent it off to Jesse.

FROM: JESSE <3  
_God!!!!! I have the most gorgeous boyfriend in the fuckin universe!!!!! Goddamn!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 _

FROM: JESSE <3  
_I gotta go but thank u for the pic!!!!!! Talk to u soon, love you!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 _

TO: JESSE <3  
_I love you too. <3 _

Still smiling, Hanzo put his phone down and picked up the magazine he’d had his eye on. He skimmed through the fashion tips and celebrity gossip articles while he waited for Genji. Apparently Brad and Angelina were splitting. That was a shame. He’d always liked them.

Eventually, Genji rolled back into the reception area. His hair was cut a good couple of inches shorter, and it was all black. If not for the “IF YOUR READING THIS TIE ME UP” tank top, he would have looked astonishingly presentable.

“It is done,” he announced.

“It looks good,” Hanzo told him. “I am proud of you.”

Genji rolled his eyes. “I got a haircut, not the Nobel Peace Prize. Can we get Taco Bell?”

“Don’t you ever get tired of Taco Bell?”

“No.”

The nearest Taco Bell was only a short drive from the salon, and soon they were sitting at a little table inside, enjoying their food. Genji set his phone down on the table, and he kept checking it every so often, like he was waiting for something, but there was nothing other than the photo of Amélie he had as his lockscreen.

Hanzo tried to be patient, but soon he had to ask the question he couldn’t get off his mind. “So why now?”

Genji looked up from his burrito and frowned. “Why what now?”

“Your hair. I’ve been hounding you to change it for years. Why now?”

Genji’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t do it for you.”

“I know. That’s not what I meant. I just meant -- what _did_ finally convince you to change it?”

“I don’t know.” Genji shrugged and took a tiny bite of his burrito. “I guess just… The whole almost dying thing has kind of put some things in perspective.” He shrugged again. “Or whatever.”

Hanzo raised his eyebrows curiously. “What things?”

Genji grimaced and slouched down farther in his wheelchair. “I don’t know. Things.”

“I see.” Hanzo decided not to push him.

They continued to eat in slightly awkward silence until eventually Genji spoke again. “I kind of wanted to look more professional. For the meeting with Sagawa, I mean.”

Hanzo looked up with surprise. “I see,” he said again. “That’s very mature of you.” Genji stuck his tongue out, and Hanzo scowled. “ _That_ isn’t, though.”

Genji rolled his eyes. “You don’t need to tell me when I am being mature, you know. Or that you’re proud of me or whatever. I’m not a fucking kid.”

“I know that,” Hanzo said with a frown.

“You don’t act like it.”

Hanzo sighed. “You really want to have this conversation, right now, in the Taco Bell?”

Genji chewed on his lip for a second before his face set with determination. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Fine.” Hanzo set down his taco. “I treat you like a child because you act like one. I can’t imagine that’s surprising to hear.”

Genji groaned and dragged his hand down his face. “What the fuck do you want from me, Hanzo? I have a job -- well, had a job, and I’ll get a new one as soon as I’m a little less fucking incapacitated -- and I have my own car. I pay my share of the rent, almost always on time. I’m trying my best. What else could you possibly want from me?”

“For you to take some responsibility for your actions,” Hanzo snapped. “You break it, I buy it. You come home blackout drunk and vomit all over the bathroom floor, I clean it up. You want to leave the Shimada clan, I cover your ass so you don’t get hunted down and fucking murdered.”

Genji gave him a cold look. “I never asked you to do that. _Any_ of that.”

Hanzo pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to contain his frustration. “Well, I had to, didn’t I? When Father died -- ” Genji went very still at the mention of their father’s death, and Hanzo immediately regretted bringing it up, but he forged onwards. “It became _my_ job to clean up your messes and protect you from every consequence you should have faced. Just like he did.”

“I never wanted you to!” Genji exclaimed, drawing the attention of the other Taco Bell patrons. “Shit. My bad.” He flashed an _everything’s fine_ smile around the restaurant, convincing enough that even the most curious customer soon turned back to their food.

When Genji faced Hanzo again, his eyes were bright with tears. Fuck. This had been a terrible idea.

“I never wanted you to,” Genji repeated, more quietly now. Somehow, that made him sound even angrier. “You aren’t Father. Why are you trying to be?”

“I’m not,” Hanzo said, stung. “I’m just trying to be a good brother.”

Genji stared at him for a long few seconds, then looked down. “I know,” he said, poking absently at his burrito. “And you are. It’s just…” He chewed on his lip and sighed. “You know why I left the clan, right?”

“Because the pressure was too much,” Hanzo answered immediately.

Genji laughed. “No, Hanzo, that’s why _you_ left. I left because I _did_ want to grow up. I wanted to have my own life and be responsible for myself and make mistakes that only I could fix.”

He picked his burrito back up so he could gesture with it. “And then _you_ left, too. And I’m glad you did, because the clan was fucking destroying you. That’s why I tried to get you to come with me when I left. You know that, right?”

“I know,” Hanzo said quietly.

“But then when you _did_ come, everything changed, because you wanted to live together in a fancy-ass apartment and shit. Which, like, don’t get me wrong, it’s great and everything. But I think you forget that I was fine before you got here. Me and Amélie, we were doing okay.”

“Amélie was sharing an apartment with five roommates and your apartment didn’t have air conditioning. In the _desert_.”

Genji sighed. “I said we were doing _okay_ , not that we were living the high life. But my point is, no matter how much of a child you see me as, I’m not. I’m twenty-six years old and I work for my own living and I do my taxes and I’m a fucking vegetarian for moral reasons and not just because of the 3OH!3 song anymore. Just because I don’t act like you doesn’t mean I’m not an adult, too.”

Genji leaned forward earnestly, not pausing long enough for Hanzo to cut in. “Aniki, I love you very much. And I appreciate you and everything you do for me. But you don’t _have_ to take care of me. I don’t need you to and I don’t want you to. Also I want to move out.”

Hanzo was stunned. Genji looked a little bit like he wanted to throw up.

“Okay,” Hanzo said slowly, still trying to process everything Genji had said. “I… Okay.”

“Take your time,” Genji said, almost a squeak. Despite still looking a little green in the face, he turned his attention to his soda.

After a minute of awkward silence broken only by the other patrons’ chatter and Genji slurping at the last of his soda, Hanzo took a deep breath. “Okay,” he said again. Genji set his cup down, looking nervous but determined.

“I know you were fine without me,” Hanzo said at last. “I just… I wanted more for you, Genji. First life in the yakuza, then that tiny shithole of an apartment. No offense.”

Genji shrugged. “None taken. It was a shithole.”

“But even now, even though I expelled you from the clan to try and keep you safe, my issues with them are still affecting you. You almost _died_.”

“But I didn’t,” Genji said, pointing at Hanzo sternly. “And that wasn’t your fault. Tachibana is an asshat. And I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to live and associate with someone who broke their oath.”

“I know. But it still isn’t fair to you.” Hanzo sighed. “If I could have given you a life other than this one I would have. And that’s all I’ve been trying to do. I suppose I didn’t consider that the life I was trying to give you was not the life you wanted. I’m sorry.”

Genji gave him a half-smile. “That’s okay. I still appreciate it. And until I almost died I didn’t know what I wanted, either.”

“But you do now?”

“I think so.”

Hanzo nodded. “I support you. In whatever it is you choose. And I’ll help you however I can -- not because I have to, but because I want to. I…” He hesitated for just a moment, hoping his next words wouldn’t be taken the wrong way. “I’m proud of you, Genji. I truly am.”

To his relief, Genji smiled. “Thanks. I’m proud of you too, aniki. And I’m sorry for being a dick.”

Hanzo chuckled. “That’s okay. We’re both dicks. It runs in the family.”

“True.” Genji laughed and held out a fist. “Brother fist bump?”

“No.”

Genji sighed and picked up his cup, holding that out to Hanzo instead. “Then will you get me a refill please? That was emotionally exhausting. I need more Dr. Pepper.”

Hanzo scowled. “What happened to not wanting me to take care of you?”

“This isn’t taking care of me, it’s just doing me a favor.”

“You are a terrible brother,” Hanzo told Genji, even as he grudgingly stood up and took the cup.

“I’m your _favorite_ brother.”

“Only by default.”

 

***

 

Hanzo knocked on Genji’s bedroom door a few minutes before they were supposed to leave. “Genji, are you ready?”

“Almost,” Genji called back. “Just finishing my makeup.”

“Do you really need to wear makeup to a meeting with the yakuza?”

“Um, obviously I can’t let them think they made me ugly,” Genji responded, and Hanzo could practically hear him rolling his eyes.

“Okay. I’ll be waiting in the living room.”

“‘Kay.”

Hanzo went out into the living room and immediately began pacing around the room. He was much too anxious to bother trying to sit.

A minute later Genji rolled into the living room. The haircut had been a smart choice; between his short black hair and the pale grey suit Hanzo had helped him into, Genji looked sharp and professional. Perfect for their meeting.

Genji was quiet for a moment before glancing over at Hanzo and asking, “Are you scared?”

“No,” Hanzo lied. “Are you?”

Genji laughed. “No.” Hanzo knew he was lying, too.

They waited in tense silence until there was a knock at the front door, and Hanzo hurried over to get it.

“Howdy,” Jesse said as he stepped into the apartment.

“Howdy,” Genji echoed tonelessly, flicking at his wheelchair controls to move back and forth minutely.

Hanzo almost instinctively said _Howdy_ as well, but he stopped himself. “Hello, Jesse,” he said instead, standing on tiptoe to give him a kiss. “You look very handsome.”

 _Very handsome_ was an understatement, really. Jesse’s dark grey button-down looked sharp against his brown skin, and he’d even left the cowboy hat and the _BAMF_ belt buckle behind in favor of a plain black belt and slacks. He looked both stunning and imposing, until he beamed. Then he was just stunning.

“Thanks, sweetheart.” He leaned down to give Hanzo a kiss on the cheek. “You’re lookin’ damn good yourself. Nice suit.”

“Thank you.” Hanzo’s suit was actually a little tight in the upper arms; apparently his workouts with Fareeha had been paying off. He was hoping it made him look strong and intimidating and not just like a cretin with an ill-fitting suit.

“Wow, Genji, you look amazing,” Genji said loudly. “Now that we’ve all had our dicks sucked, can we go?” Without waiting for a response he drove himself forward and out the door.

“S’up with him?” Jesse asked, frowning after Genji as he disappeared around the corner.

“He’s scared.” With a sigh, Hanzo glanced up at Jesse and admitted, “We both are.”

Jesse reached for Hanzo’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t blame ya. But we’re all in this together now. We got this.”

Hanzo managed a smile and squeezed back, and they walked hand in hand down to the parking lot.

The drive to the designated meeting place, a high-class Indian restaurant called Vishkar, was quiet and tense. Hanzo’s grip on the steering wheel of his car was so tight that he worried he’d leave permanent dents. Jesse couldn’t seem to stop fiddling with the radio, muttering under his breath about _tryin’ to find the right vibe for the night_. Genji was uncharacteristically silent in the backseat.

Once they were parked and Hanzo had helped Genji into his wheelchair, they headed toward the entrance to the restaurant, where Hanzo could see Gabriel and Jack already waiting for them on the sidewalk just outside. Gabriel cut an imposing figure in an all-black ensemble, and Jack looked like a fucking American flag, as usual.

“Hey, fellas,” Gabriel greeted them as they approached. “You must be Genji. Gabriel Reyes.” He held out his hand to Genji.

“Pleased to meet you,” Genji replied, shaking Gabriel’s hand. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, “How is my handshake, by the way? I want to make sure it’s good, in case I get to meet the fucker that threw me out a window.”

Gabriel’s expression turned serious, and he nodded. “It’s good. You’ll do great, kid.”

Genji gave him a tiny smile, then turned to Jack to shake his hand as well, and Gabriel turned back to Jesse and Hanzo.

“How’re all you boys holding up?” he asked quietly.

Hanzo and Jesse shared a look. Jesse shrugged, and Hanzo sighed. “I think we will all be glad when this is over,” Hanzo said.

Gabriel gave him half a grim smile. “Yeah. Just a little bit longer. We’ll get through it.”

“Som’s here too, right?” Jesse asked, looking around.

“Yep. She’s in the restaurant already. She’ll be listening to everything.” Gabriel tapped his watch lightly, indicating a listening device. “She knows Japanese, so she’ll actually know what the fuck’s going on, but she’s under strict instructions not to move in unless I give the signal.”

“Perfect. And you have the file?” Hanzo asked.

“Yep. Right here.” Gabriel pulled a thick manila envelope out of his suit jacket. “Physical copies of all the shit Sombra showed you. You wanna take it?”

Hanzo shook his head. “No, you hold on to it for now. I’ll let you know when I need it.”

“You got it.” Gabriel slid the envelope back into his jacket, then turned to face everyone and clapped his hands together authoritatively. “Right. Almost time. Everyone ready?”

Actually, Hanzo thought he might be sick. He nodded anyway. So did everyone else.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Jack opened the restaurant door, and Hanzo, Genji, Gabriel, and Jesse all filed in, with Jack bringing up the rear.

The restaurant was a nice one, full of beautiful decorations and delicious smells. As Hanzo led the way to the hostess stand, he caught sight of Sombra sitting alone at the bar, sipping on a gigantic margarita.

“Welcome to Vishkar,” said the bored-looking hostess, whose name tag read _Satya_. “The wait time for a party of five will be about twenty-five minutes.”

“Actually, we are meeting our associates here,” Hanzo said. “It should be under a Mr. Sagawa.”

Satya frowned down at a clipboard. “I don’t…”

“They are with me,” came a sickeningly familiar voice from Hanzo’s right.

Hanzo turned to see Keiji Tachibana standing there with an artificial smile on his face. Hanzo’s gut twisted at the sight of him, and he glanced surreptitiously at Genji. He was staring straight ahead at the hostess stand, face blank, but his knuckles were white on the arm of his wheelchair.

Tachibana looked at Hanzo and smirked. “I will take them to our table,” he said to Satya.

Satya didn’t look convinced, but she also didn’t seem to care. She just nodded and returned her attention to her clipboard.

“Come with me,” Tachibana said to the five of them. He turned and began to lead them towards the back of the restaurant, and the others followed after him, but Hanzo hung back and put a hand on Genji’s shoulder.

“Genji, are you going to be okay?” They’d known it was likely Tachibana would be at the meeting, but if Hanzo felt sick at the sight of him, he couldn’t imagine how bad it was for Genji.

But Genji nodded sharply, his face still blank. “I’m fine,” he said, and almost managed not to sound terrified. Hanzo nodded and gave Genji’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze before releasing it, and they followed after the others.

Tachibana led them past the dining area and into a small room with a second door in the back, empty but for a single folding chair. Once the door was shut behind them all he turned to Genji.

“ _Sorry about your accident_ ,” Tachibana said in Japanese, with a smirk that said he wasn’t sorry at all.

Genji looked up at the man he’d been having nightmares about ever since he’d woken from his coma and flashed him one of his most charming smiles. “ _Don’t be. Girls like scars_ ,” he replied breezily, and _winked_.

Tachibana looked at a complete loss as to how to react, and if circumstances had allowed, Hanzo would have fist bumped Genji. After an awkward beat, Tachibana turned away from Genji to address all of them in English. “I will need to check all of you for weapons,” he said, and without further preamble began to pat Hanzo down.

Hanzo’s, Gabriel’s, and Jesse’s patdowns all went without a hitch, but halfway through Jack’s, Tachibana pulled a small pocketknife out of his suit jacket.

“Really?” Gabriel said with an exasperated sigh. “I reminded you _no weapons_ , like, four times.”

“I forgot I had that in this suit,” Jack mumbled, ears turning red with embarrassment.

Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “Oh my god. Unbelievable.”

Tachibana inspected the knife, but didn’t seem to find anything particularly threatening about it, and eventually just placed it on the folding chair. He then started Jack’s patdown over, to Jack’s further embarrassment and everyone else’s amusement. Hanzo could see Gabriel hiding a smirk with his hand, and Jesse and Genji both coughed loudly to cover up their laughter.

Once Tachibana seemed convinced that Jack had no more weapons on him, accidental or otherwise, he moved on to Genji. Genji was surprisingly compliant, and didn’t even make any jokes about getting felt up like he always did during TSA patdowns.

When Tachibana reached Genji’s left arm he stopped. “What is this?”

Genji looked at him incredulously. “Uh, a cast?”

Tachibana narrowed his eyes, but continued with the patdown, until he reached Genji’s legs. “What are these?”

“More fucking casts, man.”

“Genji,” Hanzo murmured warningly.

“How can I be certain that you aren’t hiding any weapons in these casts?”

Genji laughed shrilly. “I guess you can’t. Should’ve thought of that before you threw me out of a fucking window, asshole.”

“Shimada,” Gabriel snapped before Hanzo could step in. “Cool your fucking jets.” Genji shot a glare at him, but obediently fell silent.

Tachibana stood straight and folded his arms across his chest, levelling Genji with a satisfied smirk, and Hanzo realized -- he’d been _trying_ to rile Genji up. Adding insult to injury. Son of a bitch. Anger flared in Hanzo, and he found himself almost hoping that the meeting would go south just so he’d have an opportunity to make Tachibana bleed.

Jesse stepped a little closer, arm brushing lightly against Hanzo’s. “Easy there,” he murmured, and Hanzo realized that his hands had balled themselves into tight fists without his meaning to. Jesse was right; they hadn’t yet done what they came here to do. Now was not the time to do something rash. He forced his hands to unclench.

“Alright,” Tachibana said. “All of you, this way.” He opened the second door in the back of the small room, and they all filed through, Hanzo in the lead.

This room was bigger than the last, with a small table in the center. Four men were already in the room: Sagawa seated at the table, and three men standing behind him that Hanzo recognized but didn’t know by name. As soon as the door closed, Tachibana went to stand beside the other three.

They were five and five. That was good. If things _did_ go south, they would be evenly matched. Well -- Genji was more a liability than an asset in that regard, but Hanzo was confident he could cover them both if necessary.

He gestured to the others to stand behind him, mirroring Sagawa’s men. As they moved into place, Hanzo unbuttoned his suit jacket and took a seat at the only other chair at the table before addressing Sagawa in Japanese.

“ _Congratulations on the promotion. Last I saw you, you still hadn’t made lieutenant_ ,” Hanzo sneered. “ _It only took you, what, twenty years?_ ” It was surprisingly easy for him to slip back into the harsh persona he had cultivated back in the yakuza. These days, he made an effort to be a little more gentle, but harsh was exactly what he needed to be right now.

Sagawa’s nostrils flared. “ _My methods are --_ ”

“ _Not interested. I’m just here to get rid of you._ ”

“ _You can’t. You’re coming back to Japan with us. Non-negotiable._ ”

“ _Ah, that’s right._ ” Hanzo leaned back in his seat with a mocking smile. “ _You only got the promotion because you claimed you could bring me back. Foolish. You should’ve offered to kill me instead._ ”

Sagawa’s nose wrinkled with distaste. “ _Believe me, I’d like nothing more. But the clan’s been a goddamn mess since you left without a successor. The elders want you back alive._ ”

“ _Well, you’re shit out of luck. I’m not coming back._ ”

“ _I won’t fucking rest until you do._ ” Sagawa leaned forward, scowling darkly. “ _Listen here, you punk bitch. You think you can break your oath and get away with it? You’re a fucking moron if you think the clan will ever let you go. Nothing you could do can change that._ ”

Oh, Hanzo loved a good setup. “ _I wouldn’t be so sure of that if I were you_. Reyes,” he said loudly without looking away from Sagawa. He heard movement behind him, and just a moment later Gabriel was standing beside him. “The file.”

Gabriel wordlessly reached into his suit jacket and handed the manila envelope to Hanzo before backing away again. Hanzo placed the envelope on the table in front of him, noticing how Sagawa’s eyes darted down to it.

“ _I’m sure you’ve heard of Blackwatch_ ,” Hanzo said smoothly. “ _The government division specializing in shutting down organized crime and illegal foreign operations?_ ”

“ _Not of any fucking concern to me. We have no such operations_ ,” Sagawa said, even as he glanced warily at the envelope every few seconds.

Hanzo laughed harshly. “ _I have a file full of photographs and documents that prove otherwise_ ,” he said, resting his fingertips lightly on the envelope. “ _See, Reyes here used to be in Blackwatch. He still has his connections._ ”

“ _You could be lying about that._ ”

“ _I could be. But even if I were, I am certain I could easily find a buyer interested in this information, don’t you think?_ ”

Now Sagawa was starting to look a little concerned, though he was trying to hide it. “ _Show it to me._ ”

Hanzo slid the envelope across the table. Sagawa picked it up and thumbed through its contents, his expression growing darker and darker.

“ _Quite incriminating, isn’t it?_ ” Hanzo said with a smirk. “ _I’m sure you’re already on thin ice within the clan, considering that one of your men attempted to murder a civilian._ ” He nodded towards Tachibana, who looked about as furious as Sagawa did.

“ _I appreciate your situation, Sagawa. I understand that if you return without me, you may lose your new position, or even your life. But, you see…_ ” Hanzo leaned forward, giving Sagawa the haughtiest, most disdainful look he could. “ _I don’t fucking care._ ”

He reached across the table and snatched the envelope back out of Sagawa’s hands. “ _So here’s the new deal. You leave me, my brother, and everyone associated with us alone, and in return, we won’t expose your operations. I think you’ll find that to be a suitable alternative, since it’s your best chance of staying alive._ ”

A vein at Sagawa’s temple looked ready to burst. Hanzo had never felt more satisfied in his life.

“ _Fine_ ,” Sagawa snapped. “ _Get out_.”

Hanzo stood and rebuttoned his suit jacket, showily adjusting his expensive cufflinks and smoothing his lapels before walking wordlessly to the door. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of an angry-looking Tachibana stepping forward and saying something under his breath to Sagawa, who threw up a hand to silence him.

As Hanzo walked out of the room, he could hear the others following behind him, but he didn’t look back. Not yet. He hoped Genji was doing okay.

They walked out the way they’d come in. As they passed the hostess stand Hanzo pulled out his wallet and withdrew a fifty-dollar bill. “Thank you,” he said to the hostess Satya as he handed the bill to her.

She looked confused -- after all, she hadn’t exactly done anything -- but took the bill without complaint. Hanzo led the way out of the restaurant, still not looking back until they were well into the parking lot.

Sombra was already waiting for them at Gabriel’s car. As they approached she looked up and quirked an eyebrow. “Well, I’m not seeing any smashed skulls, so I’m guessing it went well.”

“It did,” Hanzo replied. He turned to look at everyone, finally allowing a triumphant grin to spread across his face. “We did it.”

Genji and Sombra both let out enthusiastic whoops, and Jesse swept Hanzo up into a hug, spinning him around before setting him down and giving him a long kiss. Gabriel and Jack looked on with smiles on their faces, holding hands.

Sombra turned to Genji. “Hey, I heard you talking to that yakuza guy. The one who fucked you up, right?”

“Yeah,” Genji replied, looking wary.

“ _Girls like scars_ ,” Sombra said, lowering her voice in an imitation of Genji’s. She laughed and held up her hand for a high five. “Fucking metal, bro.”

“Thanks.” Genji enthusiastically high fived her, now grinning hugely. “I like you. We should go celebrate. All of us,” he added, glancing around between them all.

“We should,” Hanzo agreed. “Any ideas?”

Sombra’s hand shot into the air. “We should egg Sagawa’s house.”

Genji gasped. “Yes! Let’s do that!”

“Absolutely not,” Hanzo said. “Anyone else?”

“We could just go to Watchpoint,” Jesse suggested.

Genji made a face of disgust. “Ew, Watchpoint _sucks_.”

Jack clapped a hand on Genji’s shoulder. “Hate to break it to you, but I’m pretty sure you’re gonna be in the minority here. All in favor of Watchpoint?”

Jesse and Gabriel raised their hands. “I’ll go wherever someone will buy me drinks,” Sombra said.

Hanzo raised his hand as well, ignoring Genji’s betrayed glare. “Watchpoint it is. And I’m buying, to thank you all for your help and support.”

“There’s a good man,” Jack said, giving Hanzo an appreciative slap on the back.

“I’ll be designated driver,” Gabriel offered.

Hanzo frowned. “Are you sure? Your help was invaluable. You deserve to have fun tonight.”

“Yeah, I’ll have fun watching all you idiots get smashed,” Gabriel said with a grin. “Now let’s go drink Watchpoint dry.”

 

***

 

“Bang!”

Hanzo looked over at Jesse with an amused smile. “You know the gun makes the _bang_ noise for you, right?”

“Yeah, I just like cheerin’ Peacekeeper on.” Jesse took aim at another bottle and pulled the trigger. “Bang!” The bottle went flying, and he turned to Hanzo with a grin. “See? Works every time.”

Hanzo chuckled and faced their makeshift shooting range, the bottles and cans they’d set up on a few hills out in the middle of the desert. He aimed his own gun at a Dr. Pepper can on a hill a little farther away. “Bang.” A perfect shot.

Jesse whistled as he reloaded. “Goddamn. You tryna impress me or somethin’?”

“Is it working?”

“Yep.” Jesse leaned over to kiss Hanzo on the cheek.

“You should see me with a bow and arrow. I’m even better at archery.”

“I believe it,” Jesse said, looking admiring. “I got some tricks up my sleeve, too. Here, watch this.”

He stepped forward and took a deep breath, staring intently out at the range. Then he lifted his gun and fired off six shots, one right after the other, each sending a new target flying into the air before the last had fallen.

Hanzo’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit.”

Jesse grinned hugely. “Ana taught me that. Pretty cool, huh?”

“Very cool,” Hanzo agreed. “And very hot.”

Jesse laughed and put a hand over his heart. “Aw, honey, you always know just what to say.”

Hanzo quickly lost track of time as they continued to shoot and laugh together. It was so nice getting to spend time with his boyfriend now that he didn’t have to worry about the yakuza. Even though the meeting had just taken place a few days ago, it already felt a lifetime away.

Eventually the sun started to set, and Jesse slipped Peacekeeper back into its holster at his side. “Guess we should be headin’ back,” he mumbled, squinting out at the horizon.

Hanzo sighed. “I suppose so.” He set his gun down and wrapped his arms around Jesse’s waist, looking out at the sunset too. “I would like to stay, though. I have yet to see the desert at night, like you told me about when we first met.”

Jesse smiled and slid his arm around Hanzo’s shoulders. “Aw, you remember that?”

“Mhmm.”

“We’ll come out again sometime and spend the night, promise. Just you, me, and the stars.”

“That sounds perfect.”

Jesse rubbed his hand up and down Hanzo’s arm and kissed his temple. “Love you.”

Hanzo leaned up to give Jesse a long, soft kiss. “Love you, too.”

When they got back to Hanzo and Genji’s apartment, Genji was in the kitchen, eating a bowl of dry cereal. He looked up and waved when they walked in. “Oh, hey.”

Hanzo frowned at his cereal. “I didn’t know you were going to be here. We could have picked something up for you on our way back.”

Genji shrugged. “It’s cool. Amé is coming over in like an hour and we’re gonna get late-night pizza and watch _Magic Mike XXL_. It’s gonna be lit.”

Hanzo didn’t know what that meant, but he nodded anyway. “Sounds fun.”

“Yep. What are you nerds up to?”

Hanzo and Jesse shared an uncomfortable glance. They’d _wanted_ to have sex, but they hadn’t expected Genji to be at the apartment.

“Uh…” Jesse rubbed at the back of his neck. “We were gonna...do puzzles.”

Genji gave him a deadpan look. “Puzzles. Okay.” He pushed away from the table. “Tell you what. I’m gonna go in my room, put on headphones, and listen to Ariana Grande’s hit album _Dangerous Woman_ at full blast until Amélie gets here. That gives you an hour for your _puzzles_ ,” he said with air quotes.

“Okay,” Hanzo said as Genji headed down the hallway. “Enjoy your Ariana Grande.”

“I will. Good luck with your puzzles. Here’s a tip: The dick goes in the butthole.”

“Genji!” Hanzo barked, but Genji had already slammed his bedroom door shut, still cackling loudly.

Hanzo heaved a sigh of long-suffering, and Jesse patted his back sympathetically. “I mean, he ain’t wrong.”

“You practically set that up for him. _Puzzles_? Really?”

“It was the first thing I could think of!”

Hanzo chuckled and kissed Jesse’s cheek. “Well. I am going to go put this away,” he said, gesturing to his gun. “And then we can do as many puzzles as you’d like.”

“I like the sound of that,” Jesse said with a wink. “I might grab a snack m’self first, if that’s alright.”

“Of course.”

Hanzo left Jesse in the kitchen and headed back to his bedroom to store his gun in the small safe under his bed. When he returned, Jesse was still perusing the cupboards with a look of intense concentration. Hanzo looked on from the kitchen entrance with a little smile on his face. Jesse was adorable.

There was a knock on the front door, and Hanzo went over to check the peephole. Amélie was standing there, looking uncharacteristically nervous.

Three red flags instantly went up in Hanzo’s mind. One: Amélie wasn’t supposed to be there for another hour. Two: Amélie was never nervous. And three: Amélie _never_ knocked.

Something was wrong.

Hanzo glanced over to Jesse in the kitchen, grateful that the blinds were closed. Jesse looked up from his search questioningly, but before he could say anything Hanzo raised a finger to his lips.

“Stay hidden and quiet until I tell you otherwise,” Hanzo murmured. Jesse looked even more confused and a little worried, but he nodded and moved out of sight.

Warily, Hanzo opened the door. “Amélie. You’re early.”

“Is Genji here?” Amélie asked immediately. As she spoke, Hanzo caught the slight widening of her eyes and the infinitesimal shake of her head.

A sick feeling settled in Hanzo’s stomach. “No,” he lied. “No, I am alone.”

“Good,” came a voice from the side of the door, and a figure stepped out of the shadows. Tachibana, with a gun pointed at Amélie’s head. “Let me in or she dies.”

Oh, no.

Hanzo quickly weighed his options. Letting Tachibana into the apartment put both Jesse and Genji in danger. He had no doubt he could best Tachibana, but the fucker was _just_ far enough away that in the time it would take for Hanzo to subdue him he might be able to get off a shot at Amélie. It was unlikely, but Hanzo couldn’t risk it. He had to let him in.

He opened the door wider, but didn’t move aside yet. “Let her go. She is of no further use to you, and I doubt Sagawa would take well to you harming _another_ civilian.”

“Fine,” Tachibana grunted, then turned to Amélie. “Don’t even think about calling the police. After you wake up, that is.” He slammed the butt of his gun into the back of her head, and she crumpled to the ground.

Hanzo looked down at her with horror, trying to see if she was okay. “What the fuck did you do that for?”

Tachibana shrugged. “She’ll survive. As long as you let me in,” he added, pointing his gun at Amélie’s unconscious form.

Hanzo hated to just leave her there, but he had no choice. He moved aside, and Tachibana pushed roughly past him into the apartment. Hanzo closed the door and turned to face him, arms folded across his chest. “What do you want, Tachibana?”

Tachibana raised his gun and pointed it at Hanzo’s chest. “I’m here to kill you.”

Well, that wasn’t great. Hanzo cursed himself for putting his gun away. He knew Jesse still had Peacekeeper on him, but there was no way he could get to it without giving Jesse away.

Hanzo slowly raised his hands, palms out. “Is that so?” he said calmly. “Does Sagawa know about this?”

Tachibana’s nostrils flared. “No. And he never will.”

“Really? It seems like the two of you are quite close. I’m surprised you’d keep something like this from him. And what would he think if he knew you were disobeying his orders?”

“That doesn’t matter.” Tachibana cocked the gun. “First you disgrace the clan, then you humiliate Sagawa-aniki. What do you think will be waiting for us back in Japan now, huh? When the clan finds out what happened with you, we’re fucked. I’ve got nothing left to lose. And you have to pay.”

“And so you’re going to kill me?” Hanzo questioned, keeping his voice even. “You’re going to shoot me, point blank, in my own home? Where is your sense of honor as a yakuza?”

Tachibana’s brow furrowed, and his gun lowered just slightly. Good. Okay. This would work.

Hanzo’s pacifying palms turned into fists, and he stepped back with one foot, adjusting to a fighting stance. “Put down the gun. If you’re going to kill me, do it the honorable way. Hand-to-hand, one-on-one.”

Tachibana hesitated, his gun lowering a few more inches. Hanzo raised his eyebrows. “Unless you don’t think you can best me.”

It was a cheap tactic, but it worked. With a growl, Tachibana dropped his gun and kicked it away from them, back towards the hallway. He sized Hanzo up as he got into a fighting stance as well.

It was better than letting Tachibana shoot him, but Hanzo knew he was still taking a big risk here. He had no doubt that he was stronger and better-trained than Tachibana, but there was no telling what advantages Tachibana’s desperation might grant him.

But Hanzo was desperate too. This was the man who had tried to kill Genji and nearly succeeded. This man was in Hanzo’s home, endangering his loved ones. With Jesse in the kitchen, Genji back in his room, and Amélie knocked out just outside, losing could have dire consequences.

He couldn’t lose. He wouldn’t.

When Tachibana lunged forward, Hanzo was ready for it. He easily dodged out of the way, hitting Tachibana in the back hard as he went stumbling past him. Tachibana crashed to the floor, but managed to roll and get back on his feet just before Hanzo came at him.

Hanzo’s first blow landed on Tachibana’s chest, but Tachibana blocked the second and grabbed Hanzo’s wrist, flinging him off to the side. Hanzo’s back collided forcefully with the wall and the breath was knocked out of him. He barely managed to duck in time, and Tachibana’s fist dented the wall right above his head.

They moved around the living room, trading blows and curses, until Hanzo managed to throw Tachibana across the room. While Tachibana was dazed and sprawled out in the corner, Hanzo saw his opportunity.

He darted towards the kitchen, where Jesse thankfully had stayed hidden. “Jesse!” he panted.

Jesse appeared, Peacekeeper already in his hand. His jaw was set and he nodded wordlessly as he tossed the gun to Hanzo.

Hanzo caught it and spun around, cocking Peacekeeper at Tachibana just as he staggered to his feet.

Tachibana’s jaw dropped. “That’s fucking cheating!” he shouted, absolutely livid. He glared over at Jesse, who was now visible in the kitchen entrance, then back at Hanzo. “Where is _your_ yakuza honor?”

Hanzo shrugged. “I am not yakuza anymore.”

“What the _fuck_ is going on out here?”

Hanzo’s eyes immediately snapped to the hallway, where Genji had just emerged and was glancing between the three men, looking both confused and angry.

“Genji, what the hell are you -- ”

Tachibana took advantage of the distraction to dive for his gun, just a couple of feet away from Genji. Before Hanzo had a chance to refocus, Tachibana grabbed the gun, sprang to his feet, and pressed the barrel to Genji’s temple.

Genji sighed. “God fucking dammit.”

“Put the gun down,” Tachibana barked, “or baby brother here dies.” He nodded towards Jesse. “Maybe the boyfriend, too. Hell, I might as well kill all of you bastards while I’m here.”

 _Fuck_. Why had Genji come out of his room? His music should have kept him from hearing anything. Hanzo reluctantly took his finger off the trigger as his mind raced to come up with a new plan.

“No offense, but you did a shit job of killing me last time,” Genji said. “It’s possible I’m immortal, actually -- ”

Tachibana hit Genji across the face hard with the barrel of his gun, making Genji cry out with pain. “Shut the fuck up, or we’ll find out if girls like bullet holes through skulls as much as they like scars.”

The door burst open behind Hanzo, and there was a gunshot, and suddenly Tachibana’s gun was on the floor and he was shouting and clutching at his arm, blood dripping over his fingers.

Hanzo whirled around to see Amélie standing in the doorway, eyes blazing, handgun pointed right at Tachibana. “They don’t,” she snarled.

Jesse quickly leaped out and tackled Tachibana, kicking his gun out of his reach and wrestling him away from Genji. Amélie moved into the apartment and slammed the door shut behind her.

Genji chuckled and reached up to massage his bruised jaw. “Nice timing, baby.”

“I told you not to leave your room, dumbass,” Amélie said, sounding exasperated, without taking her eyes or her aim off of Tachibana. Ah, that explained why Genji had come out. A _Do not leave your room_ text would certainly do it.

“Sorry. You can punish me later,” Genji said with a grin, and Amélie smirked.

“Well,” Hanzo said loudly, trying not to grimace, “we should probably take care of the yakuza bleeding out on my nice carpet.”

“I can dress a bullet wound if someone can get me the fixings for it,” Jesse offered, still holding Tachibana’s arms behind his back. He was clearly trying to angle it so that the blood coming from the wound dripped onto Tachibana himself instead of onto the floor. That was sweet.

“I’ve got it if you’ve got him,” Amélie said, gesturing to Tachibana. Jesse nodded, so Amélie lowered her gun and slid it into her waistband. She moved over to Genji, murmuring something to him and kissing him on the forehead before disappearing down the hallway.

“Who’s gonna call the police?” Jesse asked.

“No one,” Hanzo replied.

Jesse looked confused, but Genji gasped. “You’re gonna call Sagawa, aren’t you?”

Hanzo smirked and pulled out his phone. “I think he’d like to deal with a rebellious subordinate personally, don’t you?”

Genji grinned. “That’s fucked up. I love it.”

“Don’t,” Tachibana begged, eyes wide with horror. “Call the police instead.”

“Hey.” Genji pointed a stern finger at him, still looking gleeful. “ _Your_ turn to shut the fuck up now.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, you brat,” Tachibana hissed. Jesse yanked on his arms sharply, and he yelped and fell silent.

Hanzo quickly scrolled to Sagawa’s personal number, glad he’d had Sombra give it to him and that he hadn’t deleted it already. He hit call and only had to wait a couple of rings before Sagawa picked up.

“ _Sagawa._ ”

“ _Hello, Sagawa. Hanzo Shimada speaking_.”

Silence on the other end.

“Put it on speaker!” Genji whispered loudly. Hanzo waved a hand to shush him.

Sagawa spoke again, his voice practically a growl. “ _What do you want?_ ”

“ _Tachibana needs a ride_ ,” Hanzo replied. “ _Possibly to the hospital._ ”

A few more seconds of silence. Amélie reappeared and headed over to Jesse with dressing supplies.

“ _Where is he?_ ”

“ _My apartment. He came to try and kill me_ ,” Hanzo said nonchalantly. “ _As you may have guessed, he did not succeed._ ”

“ _My apologies, Mr. Shimada._ ” It sounded like Sagawa was speaking through gritted teeth. “ _I will be there to collect him shortly._ ”

“ _I appreciate it. You know where I live._ ”

Hanzo hung up and turned to where Jesse was just finishing dressing Tachibana’s shoulder. “I hope you’re not too attached to your fingers,” he told Tachibana, trying not to sound too smug.

“Fuck you,” Tachibana spat.

“Want me to tie him up, too?” Jesse asked Hanzo.

“Why not.”

As Jesse started to tie Tachibana’s arms back with the leftover bandages, Hanzo turned to Genji and Amélie, only to see that she was in his lap in his wheelchair and they were kissing fiercely.

Hanzo sighed loudly. “Really? Right now?”

Genji pulled back, looking a little dazed. “Did you _see_ her bust in all badass and shit? Did you see how sexy that was?” he said, pointing to Amélie, who looked extremely pleased.

Hanzo sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I was just going to ask if either of you need medical attention.”

“Oh, shit. Yeah, probably.” Genji reached up to poke at his jaw and winced, then frowned at Amélie. “Wait, what happened to you?”

“Nothing,” Amélie said unconvincingly.

Genji turned to Hanzo instead. “What happened?”

“Tachibana used her to get into the apartment and knocked her out in the hallway,” Hanzo answered, pretending he didn’t see Amélie scowling at him.

Genji looked horrified. “What the fuck? Are you okay?”

Amélie shrugged and rubbed the back of her head where Tachibana had hit her. “I’m fine. And besides, I’m pretty sure I got him back.” With a smirk, she pointed a finger gun at Tachibana, shut one eye, and mimed shooting him.

“That’s true,” Genji conceded. “Damn, you guys all got to rough him up. No fair.”

“You want a go at him?” Jesse offered. He’d finished restraining Tachibana but still had a grip on his shoulder, just in case. “Seems you deserve it more than anyone, what with him throwin’ you out a window and all that.”

Genji seemed to seriously consider it for a moment, but then he shook his head. “No, that’s okay. I’m not quite enough of an asshole to kick him while he’s down. And besides, my brother beat the shit out of him and then my girlfriend shot him, so I’m feeling pretty thoroughly avenged.”

“Wait a fuckin’ second, _girlfriend_?” Jesse questioned, saving Hanzo from having to ask. “Y’all are _together_?”

“Uh…” Genji gave Jesse an incredulous look and gestured back and forth between himself and where Amélie was still straddling his lap.

“To be fair, that doesn’t really indicate anything in particular,” Hanzo pointed out. “You two do...that...all the time.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Amélie replied coolly, while Genji just flipped Hanzo off. Hanzo flipped him off right back.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Jesse said, “so that means _Amélie’s_ the one you were tellin’ me about last week? She’s the _someone_?”

Genji paled. “What? No. I didn’t tell you anything. Shut up.”

“You were talking about me?” Amélie said with a smirk. “How cute.”

“It was right after our fight. I was vulnerable, okay?” Genji grumbled, clearly embarrassed. Amélie smiled and leaned in to kiss him, and he seemed appeased.

“Anyway, you know what’s even more embarrassing than me talking about my feelings?” he said loudly. “Jesse is the only one who didn’t get a battle wound tonight.”

“No, I’m fine, too,” Hanzo said.

Genji laughed. “That’s probably the adrenaline talking. You’ve got a nasty black eye.”

Surprised, Hanzo lifted a hand to prod at his face. Sure enough, the area around his left eye already felt swollen and tender, and he noticed that his knuckles were bloody and bruised as well. “Oh.”

“Well then. That _is_ embarrassing,” Amélie said, giving Jesse a disdainful look.

“Hey, Genji only got his ‘cause he was mouthin’ off,” Jesse protested. “And the only reason I didn’t is ‘cause Hanzo asked me to stay out of it.”

Amélie pursed her lips. “Fine, you’re excused.” She turned her judgmental stare on Genji instead. “Do you hear that, Genji? He listened to his boyfriend telling him to stay safe, and as a result he didn’t get clocked in the face with a gun for being a smartass. Amazing.” Genji stuck his tongue out at her.

A sharp knock on the door signaled Sagawa’s arrival. Hanzo answered the door, and Sagawa wordlessly stepped into the apartment, followed by four more men.

Ignoring everyone else in the room, Sagawa squared his shoulders and faced Hanzo. “ _My apologies, Mr. Shimada_ ,” he said. It looked as though the words physically pained him. “ _This should not have happened, and I am regretful for the rash actions of my subordinate. I assure you, he will be dealt with...appropriately._ ”

Hanzo nodded sharply. “ _Keep your underlings in line next time._ ”

“ _Sagawa-aniki_ ,” Tachibana said desperately. “ _I was only trying to --_ ”

Sagawa gave him a withering glare, and Tachibana immediately fell silent. Sagawa looked to his men and jerked his head towards Tachibana, and two of them headed over to him and wrenched him to his feet without untying him.

Without another word, Sagawa stalked right back out of the apartment, his men and the still-bound Tachibana behind him.

Hanzo shut the door and heaved a huge sigh. “Well. Hopefully that is the last of that.”

“Hopefully,” Jesse agreed. He patted his stomach thoughtfully. “Did y’all say somethin’ about pizza?”

Genji’s face lit up. “Yes! Pizza time.”

Amélie sighed and let her head fall forward to rest on Genji’s shoulder. “Thank god. Saving all your asses made me hungry.”

“You guys can watch _Magic Mike XXL_ with us, if you want,” Genji offered.

Hanzo wrinkled his nose. “I am not sure I would like that movie.”

“It’s good,” Amélie and Jesse said at the same time. They looked over at each other with surprise and exchanged a nod of mutual respect.

“Fine,” Hanzo relented. “I will order pizza for all of us. And then we can watch _Magical Michael Extra Extra Large_ ,” he added, just because he knew it would bother Genji.

As expected, Genji looked outraged, but before he could protest Amélie cut in, “Perfect. Let us know when the pizza is here. You know what we like.”

She reached down to the controls of Genji’s wheelchair and started moving them backwards towards his bedroom. He laughed delightedly and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Knock before you come in. We’re gonna be doing puzzles!” he called over Amélie's shoulder as they disappeared down the hall.

Hanzo sighed and rubbed at his temples. “We probably have about two minutes before they get obnoxiously loud.”

Jesse snorted with laughter. “Let’s make the most of it, then, huh?” He caught Hanzo’s hand and pulled him into a tight hug.

Hanzo was a little surprised, but he readily hugged Jesse back. “What’s this for?” he asked, his voice muffled.

“Nothin’, just…” Jesse’s chest heaved as he sighed. “He was gonna kill you, Hanz. He could’ve killed you.”

“I know,” Hanzo murmured. “But it’s over now. It won’t happen again.”

“It better not,” Jesse said, sounding serious. “I love you way too much to lose you.”

Hanzo’s arms tightened around Jesse. “I feel the same about you.”

Jesse laughed softly. “Well, how ‘bout that. Guess we’ll just have to stick together and look out for each other forever, huh?”

Hanzo smiled into Jesse’s chest. “I guess so.”

Half an hour later, Hanzo, Jesse, Genji, and Amélie were all crammed onto a single couch. Amélie and Genji were holding bags of frozen peas to their injuries. Hanzo had forgone ice for his eye in favor of holding Jesse’s hand. His face hurt like hell, but it was worth it.

They dug into their pizza -- extra cheese for Genji, Hawaiian for Hanzo, and meat lover’s for Jesse and Amélie -- as Channing Tatum danced alone in a garage.

And despite everything that had happened, Hanzo finally felt at peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise!! there's an epilogue


	11. Epilogue

_ONE YEAR LATER_

 

“You’re gay panicking again.”

Hanzo shot Fareeha a glare. “That isn’t helpful. Also, I’m always gay panicking.”

Fareeha just laughed. “Relax, Hanzo. It’s going to be fine.”

“Easy for you to say,” Hanzo grumbled. He wiped at the sweat on his face with his forearm and turned his attention back to the task at hand: hanging a giant _WILL YOU MARRY ME?_ banner between two cacti.

In hindsight, staging his proposal to Jesse out in the desert in late summer might not have been Hanzo’s smartest idea, but it was the best setting he could think of. He’d considered the sites of their special moments, like their first date or their first kiss, but Hanzo Shimada was not going to ask Jesse McCree to marry him at the fucking Taco Bell.

Fareeha finished hanging her end of the banner and hopped off of her ladder with a wince. “Your goddamn marriage cactus stabbed me.”

“You didn’t get any blood on the banner, did you?”

Fareeha gave him an incredulous look. “Really?”

“I’m kidding.” Hanzo wasn’t kidding. “I’ve got a first aid kit in my car if you need it.”

“Nah, it’s okay. It’s not _that_ bad.”

“You’re still going to complain, though.”

“Well, obviously.”

Hanzo carefully finished up his end and stepped down from his ladder. Fareeha was sucking on her injured finger, but took it out of her mouth to ask, “Alright, what now?”

“Hmm.” Hanzo took several steps back to survey their handiwork. The banner was hung perfectly between the two cacti, and if Fareeha had gotten any blood on it, it wasn’t visible from this distance. He’d already checked three times to make sure the fairy lights wrapped painstakingly around the cacti were in working order.

“I think that’s actually it for n-- ”

Jesse’s “Cotton Eye Joe” ringtone played loudly from Hanzo’s phone, and Fareeha gasped. “Fuck! Be cool!”

“ _You_ be cool,” Hanzo hissed back, fumbling and almost dropping his phone when he pulled it out of his pocket. When he answered, he tried his best to sound like everything was normal. “Hello, Jesse.”

“Hi, honey. How’s it goin’?”

“It’s -- good. Well. It’s going well.”

“Be cool!” Fareeha reminded him, too loudly. He tried to shush her, but it was too late.

“Hey, is that Fareeha?”

Hanzo shot a venomous glare at Fareeha. “Yes, it is. We’re, um. At the gym.”

He could practically hear Jesse frowning. “Didn’t y’all just go to the gym this morning?”

 _Shit._ “We did. But, uh, Fareeha forgot her water bottle, so she had to go back to get it. And the reason that I had to go with her was because she was feeling lonely and sad.”

Fareeha scowled and shoved at Hanzo’s arm. He shoved her back, trying to stay focused on not screwing this conversation up.

Thankfully, Jesse seemed to buy it. “Aw, well, tell ‘er I say hi and I hope she feels better.”

“I will. Anyway, how are you?”

“Oh, I’m good. Right. I was just callin’ to letcha know I’m gonna be home a bit late today. Gabe needs my help movin’ some shit around.”

“Alright. That’s fine.” As long as… “You’ll be back in time for our date, though?” As far as Jesse knew, they were going out to Outback Steakhouse to celebrate his recent promotion. Hanzo hoped he wouldn’t be disappointed when that turned out not to be the case.

“Wouldn’t miss it, darlin’. I gotta get goin’, but I’ll see you real soon. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Hanzo hung up and turned to Fareeha. “I think that went okay.”

“It could’ve been worse,” she said supportively. “I hate you for making me sound like a loser, though.”

“You’ll get over it.”

They gathered their things and got back into Hanzo’s car, both sighing with relief when the air conditioning kicked in. As they drove towards town Fareeha said, “Man, I still can’t believe you’re gonna be like, basically my brother-in-law.”

“If he says yes,” Hanzo muttered, trying to ignore the anxious twisting in his gut.

Fareeha snorted. “Right. _If_. Jesse would’ve married you the second he laid eyes on you. You know that.”

“We’ll see.” Honestly, that _was_ reassuring to hear. Hanzo took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Now was much too early to be freaking out. “You and Angela still have everything I gave you to set up, correct?”

“Yep. Rose petals, picnic blanket, picnic basket, fancy plastic dishes and shit,” Fareeha listed, ticking each item off on her fingers. “The food’ll be ready at seven for us to pick up on the way, right?”

“It should be. I’m going to go check as soon as I drop you off.”

“Sweet. Oh, speaking of which, can you drop me off at Angie’s? She should be home from work by now.”

“Of course.”

When Hanzo stopped in front of Angela’s apartment, Fareeha leaned over to give him a sweaty one-armed hug. “Good luck. You got this.”

Hanzo hugged her back. “Thank you, Fareeha. Keep me updated.”

“Will do,” Fareeha said with a salute as she got out of the car. Hanzo waited while she jogged up to Angela’s door and rang the doorbell.

Just a few moments later Angela opened the door. She looked exhausted, but her entire being seemed to light up the moment she saw Fareeha. She threw her arms around Fareeha’s neck and kissed her sweetly before pulling back and turning to where Hanzo still sat in his car.

She smiled and waved, and Hanzo rolled down the window. “Hey, Hanzo!” she called to him. “Good luck tonight!”

“Thank you. Both of you, for your support and your help.”

“Anytime,” Fareeha said with a grin. “See you soon!” They turned and disappeared into Angela’s apartment, arms still around each other.

Next Hanzo headed to Genji and Amélie’s apartment. He knocked excessively loudly on the door; they always left it unlocked, but Hanzo had walked in on them mid-coitus too many times to risk entering without giving a warning.

After a second Genji yelled from inside. “Come in!”

Hanzo opened the door and was immediately hit with the delicious aromas of French cooking. He went into the kitchen to find Amélie slicing vegetables and Genji tending something on the stove.

“Hey,” Amélie said without taking her eyes off her work. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she was wearing only a tank top and a pair of Genji’s boxers. Hanzo didn’t blame her; the heat of the kitchen was stifling.

Genji looked up from his saucepan and grinned. “Hi, aniki.” He, too, was only wearing boxers and an apron, which Hanzo _did_ take issue with.

“Do you always cook practically naked?”

Genji made a face at Hanzo, but it was Amélie who replied, “No, we usually cook entirely naked.”

“That’s actually true,” Genji confirmed, and Hanzo grimaced.

“Forget I asked. How is everything coming along? Will it be ready on time?”

“Yes, yes, everything will be fine, bichette.” Amélie finished slicing and brought the cutting board over to Genji, pushing the vegetables carefully into the saucepan. “Your ridiculous and unnecessary plan will go off without a hitch.”

“Well, hopefully one hitch,” Genji corrected, already laughing at the punchline he hadn’t gotten to yet. “Him and Jesse _getting_ hitched. Get it?”

Amélie smirked and patted his arm. “Nice.”

Hanzo frowned. “What do you mean, ridiculous and unnecessary?”

“Nothing,” Amélie said with a shrug. “It’s just a lot of effort to go through to ask someone a simple yes or no question.”

Hanzo rolled his eyes. “We can’t _all_ just elope to Paris on a whim.”

“I mean, you _can_ ,” Genji pointed out. “You’re just too much of a weenie.”

“I am not a weenie,” Hanzo protested. “I want it to be romantic and special. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“No, nothing wrong with it,” Amélie said. She nudged Genji aside and took over stirring. “It’s just -- like I said -- unnecessary. And with a plan this complicated, you’re basically inviting something to go wrong.”

“Amé, you’re freaking him out,” Genji whispered loudly.

Genji was right, but Hanzo barely heard. He was straight up dissociating in the middle of their nudist kitchen.

He startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Genji right beside him. “It’s gonna be okay,” Genji said earnestly. “It’s gonna be perfect. I promise.”

“What if it’s not?” Hanzo heard himself ask.

“It will be. Because you love Jesse, and he loves you. That’s all that matters, right?” Genji seemed so absolutely confident in his own words. It was both inspiring and irritating.

“That’s what I was saying,” Amélie said with an indignant huff. “It’s not where you are or how many French dishes you coerce your sister-in-law into making for you. It’s who you’re with and all that bullshit.”

“Exactly.” Genji moved back to the stove to wrap his arms around Amélie and kiss her cheek, and she smiled as she kept stirring. “So stop freaking out. It’s gonna be fine.”

Hanzo knew they were right, but he couldn’t give them the satisfaction of telling them that. “So you’re married for a year and you’re love experts now, is that it?”

Genji shrugged. “I mean, yeah, obviously. Being married rules, and we’re like, super fucking good at it, so.”

“True,” Amélie agreed. She craned her neck to kiss Genji for slightly longer than was comfortable for Hanzo to be present for. “Anyway, this all will be ready by seven. You don’t have to worry.”

“Yeah, we got this,” Genji said. “You should get going. I want to see if we can cook and make out at the same time. For science.”

Amélie nodded solemnly. “For science.”

“Right,” Hanzo said, wrinkling his nose. “You two are disgusting.”

“We know,” Amélie said, sounding smug.

Hanzo started to head back to the front door, but paused in the kitchen entrance. “Thank you for all of this. It means a lot to to me.”

Genji grinned. “We know that, too.”

Hanzo headed home to his and Jesse’s apartment. He probably had about an hour before Jesse got home; that gave him plenty of time to prepare.

And plenty of time to panic.

He took an extra long shower so he’d be extra clean. He reorganized some of the kitchen cupboards that had gotten a little messy. He vacuumed and dusted. Then he felt grimy from the housework, so he showered again.

As he changed shirts for the fourth time, Hanzo heard the front door open. “Hanz, I’m home,” Jesse called out.

“Hi, Jess,” Hanzo called back, trying not to sound nervous. He quickly buttoned his shirt up the rest of the way. “How was your day?”

“It was good. Got a lot done.” Jesse walked into the bedroom and beamed when he saw Hanzo. “How ‘bout yours?”

“Also good,” Hanzo said vaguely.

“M’glad.” Jesse paused and sniffed his armpit with a grimace. “Might hop in the shower real quick. Don’t wanna be all sweaty and smelly for our date.”

“Alright,” Hanzo agreed, relieved. Time Jesse spent in the shower was time Hanzo didn’t have to worry about trying to keep his cool.

“Kiss first?”

“Of course.”

Jesse moved closer and leaned down to kiss Hanzo, and Hanzo’s nerves instantly melted away. Everything was going to be fine.

But as soon as the bathroom door was closed behind Jesse, the nerves reappeared. That was fast. Hanzo didn’t know what to do while he waited for Jesse to get ready. What did he usually do while Jesse was in the shower? Definitely not hover creepily outside the bathroom door.

He jumped when his phone beeped twice in his pocket. He pulled it out to see he had two texts from Angela. Oh, god. Something had gone horribly wrong. He knew it.

FROM: ANGELA ZIEGLER  
_Hi Hanzo! We just got the food from Genji and Amélie. Looks and smells great! We’re on our way to your spot now, and we’ll let you know when we’re finished setting up. Everything’s going to be perfect!_

FROM: ANGELA ZIEGLER  
_I’m really happy and excited for you! Listen to your heart and be brave! You can do it!_

Well, she’d nearly given him a fucking heart attack, but that was sweet of Angela, if a little cheesy. Hanzo was too jittery to respond, so he just put his phone back in his pocket and started pacing.

As he paced he went through a mental checklist. The basic preparations were done. The food was ready and picked up. Fareeha and Angela were on their way to finish setting up. All Hanzo had to do was grab the ring and --

The ring.

Where was the ring.

Hanzo had been so paranoid about Jesse finding the ring that he’d moved it at least twice a day over the past week. And now he couldn’t remember which hiding place it had ended up in.

Hanzo wanted to scream. The one fucking most important item in a proposal, and he’d forgotten where he put it. He probably only had about five more minutes until Jesse got out of the shower. He had to move fast.

He scrambled to check all the places he could remember putting the ring box. In his sock drawer. Behind their Blu-ray collection. The back of the freezer. No luck. God fucking dammit. Of all the things that could’ve gone wrong, he hadn’t thought _he’d_ be the one to screw up.

The shower shut off, and after a minute Hanzo heard the bathroom door open. Maybe it was in there. He rushed back into the bedroom and sidled past a naked Jesse into the bathroom. “Need to fix my hair,” he muttered, and shut the bathroom door before Jesse could say anything.

As Hanzo frantically opened and shut bathroom drawers, he could hear Jesse rummaging around and getting dressed. “Hey, hon? Almost ready, but can I borrow a hair tie?” Jesse called.

“Sure. In my bedside drawer,” Hanzo replied distractedly. He ducked down to investigate the cupboards under the sink. Nothing.

A few moments later Jesse called out again. “Uh, Hanz?” He sounded confused. Excited. A little bit scared.

Suddenly, Hanzo remembered where he’d hidden the ring.

He slowly opened the bathroom door and stepped out into the bedroom.

Jesse was standing next to Hanzo’s open bedside drawer. In his hands was a small black box. It was open, and he was staring down at the gold band inside of it.

That was where Hanzo had left it. The most fucking obvious place. He’d been in a hurry that morning, anxious about the day ahead, but he’d wanted to move the ring one more time, just in case. He’d absentmindedly shoved it into his bedside drawer while he was getting dressed for the gym, and then he’d forgotten about it and _told Jesse to look in his bedside drawer._

Jesse looked up at Hanzo, his eyes wide and bright. Hanzo thought maybe he looked happy. He definitely looked surprised. At least now Hanzo knew he’d done a good job of keeping the secret.

“I… You…” Hanzo stammered. “You weren’t -- supposed to find that.”

“Sorry,” Jesse said, looking dazed.

Hanzo shook his head quickly. “No, it’s -- it’s okay. There’s just -- tonight -- there’s the food, and the rose petals, and the cacti -- the plan -- ”

_It’s not where you are. It’s who you’re with and all that bullshit._

There were clothes on their bedroom floor. The bed was unmade. The setting sun shone through their window, casting a warm glow on Jesse’s brown skin, and he was so goddamn beautiful.

_Listen to your heart and be brave._

Hanzo’s heart beat wildly against his ribcage. He reached out and took Jesse’s hands in his, cupping the ring box between them. Jesse’s hands were trembling, but his gaze was warm, steady, adoring.

_Jesse would’ve married you the second he laid eyes on you._

Slowly, Hanzo got down on one knee. Jesse’s mouth fell open. The ring gleamed in the sunlight.

_You love Jesse, and he loves you. That’s all that matters._

Hanzo took a deep breath.

“Jesse Jebediah McCree, will you marry me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well uh?? we fuckin did it?? good work everyone this has been such an adventure to work on for the past year, it’s been a fucking struggle but we did it and i’m so goddamn happy you guys
> 
> REAL QUICK as a note before you leave a "why the fuck genjamé" comment: genjamé happened because it's what happened naturally for me and. i wanted it to? sorry if you don't like it, i get that it's not everyone's thing, but. yknow. my story my rules. i don't regret any of the changes i made and i hope you were able to enjoy this anyway
> 
> Final Big Thanks to:
> 
> * my beta [brenna](http://butchlesbiankillian.tumblr.com) for the time and effort she put into editing this whole dumpster fire  
> * my best friend and secondary beta [paige](http://twitter.com/patchworkroyal) for staying up late with me countless nights, giving me encouragement and pep talks and genius ideas  
> * [mars](http://twitter.com/duskcry) for their unwavering support and friendship through all of this  
> * [max](http://twitter.com/maxalackin) for doing tons of writing hours with me and helping me figure my shit out
> 
> AND BIG THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!!!! for your support and patience as i took eight million years to finish this off. i really hope you find it to be worth the wait!
> 
> uhh check out my other fics maybe, they’re pretty good, and follow me on twitter [@GENJAMlN](http://twitter.com/genjamln) and on tumblr [@sodawife](http://sodawife.tumblr.com) to keep up with my bullshit
> 
> and [here](http://sodawife.tumblr.com/post/164379032923/speech-speech-speech) is an even longer and sappier version of this ending note if you're so inclined. anyway
> 
> THANK YOU AGAIN!!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!


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